For Lynnfield Track Team, A Win In Every Possible Way

LYNNFIELD, MA. - On a day when the incentive to run fast was a quicker return to your winter coat, the Lynnfield track team did something it hadn't done in five years. Compete at home.

For the record, Wednesday's meet started at 3:57 p.m. and 1:11.52 seconds later April Luders crossed the finish of the 400 hurdles in first place. She started the race as a sophomore but finished as the answer to a future Pioneer trivia question.

Luders wasn't alone, as the Lynnfield boys opened their outdoor season by beating Hamilton-Wenham and Pentucket while the girls split with their Cape Ann League rivals.

"No matter what the outcome was, just having a home meet is awesome," said coach Bill Wallace. "Just presenting this new track in Lynnfield is pretty cool for the track team and the school and the town. The town gets to use the track. People are down here running or walking, which is nice. It's nice to have something to practice on too. We used to practice on the old track and it would rain a little bit and be slippery, and be like running on ice. Now we don't have to worry about that.

"It brings enthusiasm back to the sport, not that we had lost it when we didn't have home meets. It's different when you get to host meets. Kids were excited today in school. You could hear them talking about being excited to be here and compete in a track meet in Lynnfield. We had a whole class go through never having a home meet so it's a big deal. And to come out with two wins is even better."

After the 2014 season, the Lynnfield oval wasn't suitable for track meets and the Pioneers waited as town officials discussed, planned, and debated how best to not only repair the track but also other town recreational facilities. Rome wasn't built overnight, and neither was the new track. But $2.25 million later the work was completed and the track's grand opening was held last September. The boys' and girls' track team, which in the four seasons since 2014 had identical 4-28 dual meet records, had to wait until spring to test the new surface.

Mia DeGeorge and Sarah Crockett are captains and seniors. As the clock ticked down on their high school track careers, each wondered if they'd ever compete at home.

"Just hosting a meet that's great. It's so nice to finally be able to have it here in our own town," said the UMass Amherst-bound Crockett. "Honestly, I was scared they weren't going to have it done for my senior year because last year this was just cement. I thought there's no way they're going to get it done for my senior year but now they have it done and it's really exciting."

"It's an amazing feeling honestly. I feel like it's going to give us a lot confidence since it's our home turf," said DeGeorge, who won the shot put Wednesday and will be joining Crockett at UMass. "I didn't think it was going to happen but it feels really good. Our track program is growing so this just adds to it and makes people want to do it more. We're no longer running on straight concrete and it's just fun."

The turnout for Wallace and girls' coach Christine Smith was a little higher this spring, with close to 60 students on each team. A coincidence, or possibly the enthusiasm created by the new track? Whatever the answer, the season is off to a cold, but exciting start.

"The kids are excited. 2-0. It's been a long time since we were 2-0," said Wallace. "There were a lot of seasons we had no wins and now we're two-for-two. It makes you feel good."

And how about that trivia question. After four years on the road, can you name the first Pioneer to win on the new track on April 10, 2019?