Stuyvesant Greyducks Dominate Boroughs

The last two months of school promise three things every year: AP tests, sleepless nights, and a girls’ outdoor track Borough Championship. Year in and year out, Stuyvesant’s girls’ outdoor track team, the Greyducks, have set the bar for girls’ track in Manhattan with dominant performances over their competitors, having won four consecutive outdoor track Borough Championships in a row. This year, the Greyducks added one more first place finish to their collection on May 20, reclaiming consistency after a seemingly bumpy season.

At the close of the winter season, the Greyducks were a group of runners who had won indoor Borough Championships but faced uncertainty. Both their track runners and their field eventers showed signs of rust, and their margin of victory at Borough Championships was the closest it had been in recent history despite the strong finishes by upperclassmen. “In the past, we never had a problem with winning and had a large lead over the school in second place in terms of points, but we were worried this time around, as we only won by around 20 points in this year's indoor season,” junior and co-captain Jeanette Cheung said.

The team traveled to DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx for the long-awaited meet when May 20 arrived. The chance of the Greyducks defending their title seemed to be slim. The pole vault event, in which the Greyducks expected to score a significant number of points, was cancelled due to thunderstorms, and they entered the meet with multiple injuries. Despite the setbacks, the team once again put together strong performances in a multitude of both track and field events.

Junior Clara Mohri, despite being injured, ran and won the the 1500-meter run (5:23.67) and placed second in the 3000-meter run (11:42:02). First place in the 3000-meter run went to freshman Julianne Yotov (11:21.85) instead. Additionally, sophomore Angela Zhong won first place in the 1500-meter race walk (8:19.29). For field events, sophomore Tina Zheng won the discus throw (70-05.00) while setting a new personal record in the process. Freshman Chloe Terestchenko, who joined the Greyducks this season, placed second in the high jump (4-02.50).

When asked about her new personal record and first place finish, Zheng said, “I pushed my limits during the week of Borough’s. I was in shock, but more importantly, happy [that my hard work paid off].” Zheng, Yotov, Terestchenko, and Zhong are key underclassmen who performed above expectations at Borough Championships. As a whole, the Greyducks stepped up as a team and asserted their dominance in Manhattan, which is full of respectable competitors. “We have been borough champions since the indoor season of 2014, so if we're counting the cross country, indoor, and outdoor seasons, our most recent win would be our 14th consecutive win,” Cheung said.

The Greyducks sent a group of athletes to compete at City Championships a week later. Stuyvesant athletes competed in the 1500-meter race walk, 3000-meter run, and discus throw. “Unfortunately, our 4x800-meter relay didn't qualify for City's. We also had one more athlete who was very close to qualifying in the race walk,” Cheung said when asked about the expectations for the team going into City Championships. “We always want as many people as possible to qualify for City Championships, but we have a lot of people on track to qualify next year, so we're looking forward to that.” Though the inability of athletes to compete was disappointing, the ones that did compete they still put up a reputable performances.

The Greyducks’ sole athlete on the podium at City’s was Zhong, who set a new personal record at the meet, winning third place in the 1500-meter race walk (7:59.76). “Looking back to how I was in freshman year made me realize that hard work really does pay off, and that practice makes perfect. This season has been going really well for me, and I am excited and happy to end it off with a PR,” Zhong said. The Greyducks found more success from four other medalists; Mohri placed fourth in the 3000-meter run (11:01.51), with freshman Julianne Yotov coming in at sixth place only a few seconds behind (11:08.51). Junior Bernice Chen (8:03.24) and Cheung (8:10.74) secured fourth and fifth place at in the race walk, rounding off the Greyducks’ strongest event.

Underclassmen will ended the season with the Freshman-Sophomore Championships on Sunday, June 3. Hopes are high for next year with the increasing number of newer athletes and with the younger athletes getting better with experience. “Our freshman Chloe has been showing a lot of potential in several events!” Cheung pointed out. “Specifically, she has been doing relatively well in the high jump and placed second at Boroughs.” Fall will usher in a new group of runners, marked by the absence of co-captain Nnadi, a notable senior. However, the Greyducks will continue to protect their place atop Manhattan in the years to come as they did this season.