From achieving a personal goal to beating a high school record, the track team has accomplishments to show for their work throughout the season.

“Over the course of the season, I got my javelin throwing form down, which is a realistic goal for the first year,​” Sophomore Madeline Kiefer said.

Reaching personal goals can give students the momentum and optimism needed to achieve more challenging goals like breaking a school record. Senior Tina Davis was aiming to beat the high school record for the 100 hurdles and came very close. Her numbers were 16.25 when the record is 16.14. Even though she didn’t achieve her goal, Davis continues to work hard and stay optimistic.

“The goal is so close to happening that we can taste the WPIAL medals already,” Sophomore Avery Sayre said before the competition. To qualify for states you have to qualify for WPIALS. First, there is an individual qualifiers meet. You have to be in the top eight at that meet in order to advance to the WPIAL finals at Baldwin.There were two qualifiers for AA which were in Shady Side, North WPIAL Qualifiers, and South Side, South WPIAL Qualifiers. The top five out of the 16 students go to states automatically and three individuals, if sixth, seventh or eighth place qualify in terms of meeting the time requirement, then they will advance.

You can have a total of 8 students who can go. The students who qualified for WPIALS are Trevor Adams for shotput and discus, Brenton Harrison for javelin and high jump, Tina Davis for 100 hurdles, Joey Pail for the pole vault, Jarrett Boyd and Danny Conrad for the 800, Josh Kugel for the 400, the boys four-by-four which consists of David Montgomery, Jarrett Boyd, Zach Kugel and Josh Kugel, the boys four-by-eight which consists of Zach Kugel, Avery Sayre, Danny Conrad and Jarrett Boyd.

“I have been running since July to prepare,” sophomore Jarrett Boyd said. With WPIALS on Thursday, May 14, the team prepared in any way they could. From running for months to practicing every chance they got, the Freedom Area Track and Field team perspired tried their best to pull out a win at WPIALS.

“WPIALS went well [however] we wish that we went to states for the 4×8, but we medaled and got 8th place,” Sayre said as he returned home from the competition. The results from the WPIALS are that Trevor Adams placed second in shot put and third in Discus, Brenton Harrison placed second in high jump and sixth in javelin, Jarrett Boyd placed fifth in the 800, Tina Davis played seventh in 100 meter hurdles, and the relay team for the 4×8 finished eighth place. Also, by finishing in the top five, Brenton Harrison, Trevor Adams and Jarrett Boyd qualified to compete next week in the PIAA state Track and Field championships at Shippensburg.