Greyducks Bring Home Gold

This article was last updated for content on February 28th.

For the first time since 2020, the boys’ track and field team brought home gold at the Indoor Borough Championship at the Armory Track and Field. After falling to High School of Math, Science, and Engineering by 12 points last year and missing the title by just three points in 2023, Stuyvesant made a comeback this season, winning by a massive 63-point margin. 

Compared to prior years, this year was marked by heightened commitment and focus in practice and meets. Under the guidance of Coach Sandra Brandan, it was made clear from the beginning that meeting expectations and maintaining discipline were nonnegotiable in order to be a member of the team. “This season, we made a decision and [set the] standard early that bad habits were not going to be part of this program anymore. The expectation was simple: Show up, do the work, be accountable, and respect the team,” Coach Brandan said. By enforcing these standards, the team saw improvements in both attendance and running times. 

In addition, the captains included new, personalized workouts tuned to the athletes’ strengths and specific events. “Coming into Borough’s, we were quite confident in ourselves, largely due to our consistent success in the meets leading up to Borough’s. Throughout the indoor season, we had been able to implement a more structured training program, which led us to feel more prepared going into this meet,” senior and co-captain Austin Li said. Helping members further improve in events where they were the strongest became a key strategy going into Borough’s. 

“We were strategic about placement and maximizing scoring opportunities. The goal was to use our depth and put athletes in positions where they could contribute,” Coach Brandan added. Ultimately, this combination of accountability, preparation, and strategy set the foundation for the team’s win. 

A large share of the points scored at Borough’s were won in the field events, where they secured podium finishes across the board. Senior Kai Nunziata, sophomore Thehan Abeyweera, sophomore John Lee, and sophomore Tiras Hart placed first in their respective events: high jump, long jump, shot put, and weight throw. The Greyducks also claimed the top five spots in the varsity shot put. 

However, the team’s success extended beyond these key players. The meet featured many medal winners and personal records, including junior David O’Brien’s second-place finish in the 1000-meter dash and sophomore Alexander Draves’s third-place finish in the 600-meter dash. In addition, more than 15 relay teams competed, contributing nearly a quarter of the team’s total points. “We scored in sprints, distance, hurdles, jumps, and throws. Some athletes performed exactly as expected. Others exceeded expectations. That balance is what makes a real team. Borough’s was won by [a] collective effort,” Coach Brandan said. These podium finishes and personal records show the positive impact of the team’s changed mindset. 

Despite the overall success of the team, there were many challenges faced, including injuries and the difficulty of managing academics with rigorous training. “I missed the first couple of meets with a knee injury, and I know other teammates who faced similar setbacks. However, our coaches and captains did a great job holding injured athletes accountable and making sure they still did whatever they could to maintain fitness or strength,” junior and co-captain Daniel Jung said. Even with these obstacles, athletes found ways to contribute, whether by attending team workouts in a limited capacity, helping with practice drills, or supporting teammates from the sidelines.

Despite Borough’s being over, the Greyducks’ season was far from finished. Less than three weeks after their win, many members of the team participated in the City Championship, where the competition expanded to all PSAL schools, not just Manhattan. Like Borough’s, athletes had to qualify in order to compete, meaning only the fastest runners and strongest field athletes earned the chance to represent Stuyvesant. Despite the heightened competition, the Greyducks scored 35 points, 29 more points than last year. City’s took place during mid-winter break, yet the team showed no signs of slowing down. Their consistent practices, often in cold winter weather, as well as workouts at home, reflected the athletes’ dedication and the program’s culture of hard work. 

Looking ahead, all underclassmen on the team will compete at the PSAL Frosh/Soph Championships on March 8. Many of the underclassmen have already contributed points at Borough’s and City’s, proving that they are already impactful with greater potential ahead. Meanwhile, juniors Max Liu, Yash Balkaran, David O’Brien, and sophomore Siddarth Shirke are among the few athletes on the team who earned spots at Nike Indoor Nationals, one of the country’s most prestigious high school track and field events. Their qualification is indicative of the team’s growth beyond city success: the Greyducks are now a team producing athletes who compete at the highest level.