The mountainous town of Snoqualmie was not ready for the tenacity that the girls of Issaquah High track brought on April 7.

Issaquah’s head coach and distance specialist Mike Cobb shared that track meets do not differ in difficulty based on the opponent: “Some teams are better than others, but we always take the same approach. Generally, we look at meets as practice for KingCo.” The track team will be heading to the King County Championships on May 11.

Mount Si High School had a vast view of its namesake mountain, and a track that was equally picturesque. Cobb shared his thoughts on the facilities and conditions. “The track is pretty much brand new, so it is going to be fast, there are going to be a lot of PRs. It is a little windy, but beautiful out, and it is going to be awesome.” PR is a frequently used term for “personal record” and as predicted by Cobb, there certainly were many exciting finishes for these runners.

The meet began with the 4×200 relay, where sprinter athletes senior Anna Boone, junior Daytona Crow, senior Sy’nia Williams and senior Emma Wijsman won with a 1:50.24. A second group of Issaquah girls; sophomore Tayten Walcott, senior Greta Cavotta, senior Trinity Cress, and junior Sophia Mydlil, ran the 4×200, coming in second with a 1:56.60. Senior Emma Wijsman also sprinted the 100 meter, with a PR of 13.15, and a cause for celebration. Every single girl who ran the 3200 meter, which is two miles, achieved a brand new PR.

The meet continued with distance girls running the 1600 meter race, one mile. Sophomore Jane Harig took first place, with an outstanding time of 5:29.76. Issaquah saw continued success in distance running, with junior Kate Yahn taking first in the 800 meter, finishing with a 2:19.91.

Track is an impressively intricate sport, with athletes mainly dispersed between the distance and sprinting groups. Within these groups, there are events. Track athletes thrive with their innate versatility and often run different distances at meets.

Athletes engaged in various warmup activities. This looked different for everyone. Glancing around the grass that lined the sleek grey track, one might see jumping jacks, wild daisies being threaded through braided hair, a strategic napper in a sleeping bag, and no shortage of smiles. Freshman Lorelai Beernink said to mentally prepare for meets, the team “bans negativity” on the bus ride. Personally, Beernink “keeps a positive attitude” and “makes sure to get enough food and water throughout the day.” Sophomore Julianna Cullen says, “During the warmup it is helpful to plan out my race.”

Issaquah girls totaled 81 team points for this meet against Mount Si, a win characterized by positivity and determination.