The BSM Track and Field team is off to a fast start—only two weeks into the season and the team’s first meet is only a week away. With eleven team captains (five girls, six boys) the team has a lot of leadership to look to this year. “We have a pretty strong team with quite a few juniors and seniors with significant experience,” junior captain Tracy Renier said. The team will look to these leaders to hopefully bring the team to the State Track Meet, but first, they have to defeat the other teams in their Section.

This year the Red Knights will compete against many tough teams of a variety of different sizes. “We have a lot of strong opponents we compete against in the [Metro West] Conference, such as St. Louis Park and Richfield, and there are a lot of big schools in our Section as well,” senior captain Carlos McMerty-Brummer said. Some of the notable schools in Section 6AA along with BSM include Eden Prairie, Edina, Minnetonka, and Wayzata.

In order to prepare to compete against these opponents, BSM is starting off the season strong, practicing for two hours every day, which began the week before spring break started. “We are putting in the effort to build a solid base for the Conference and Section meets in May,” senior captain Jonah Jerabek said. The season is just over two months long, so the team has no time to waste.

While the practices are grueling, the team camaraderie helps them to achieve their goals. “We are all really close on the track team–there are so many laughs; it really helps you to get through the pain of running,” senior captain Lauren McDonnell said.

Being on the BSM Track and Field team is also a way to connect with people that you don’t usually see. “It’s fun to be able to connect with kids outside of the school hallways and realize that I have activities in common with them; it gives me the opportunity to chat with new people,” McMerty-Brummer said.

Make sure to come out to support the Red Knights at their first meet of the season on Friday, April 7, at 3:30 pm, for the Knight’s Invite at Irondale High School in New Brighton.