As Hammonton High School’s 2017 track season comes to an end, we say goodbye to some star athletes but at the same time look forward to a strong future. Many of the younger runners are going to miss the senior athletes, as they looked to them for guidance, but at the same time realize they themselves now need to step up and fill in those roles.

Junior Dom Whitener talked about filling these roles as he will be a senior next year.

“I’m definitely gonna miss Phil, Ron, and David. Phil is a good friend and Ron and David were always there to talk about running and help calm my nerves. I’m looking forward to being able to step up and take the varsity spots the seniors had, and overall improve and have a good time with my last year running track.”

• When asked about their final year of track many seniors reflected on some the great times they had with their teammates and they things they are going to miss.
• “I’m gonna miss the guys screwing around during workouts and all the bus rides. My favorite memory is when the whole team slept on the high jump pit.” Noah Linden
• “My favorite memory was when my coach gave me and my friends the keys to her car so we could stay warm for our race and we bumped in her car and hooked up to the Bluetooth. I’m definitely gonna miss just being on the track with all the teams.” Brooke Finnerty
• “ The thing that I will miss most is hanging out with the throwing team all day during the weekend meets and chasing Ms.KG with bugs.” Dominique Minerva
• “ My favorite memory was when Iran my PR in the 800, and I’m gonna miss [bothering] Coach Dey and all the fun times we had goofing off.” Joe Weiss

As some of the seniors reflected on the teammates they will be leaving behind they wanted to share some wise words to help keep them motivated and show them guidance in the future.

• “Set small goals and focus on accomplishing one at a time, you will end up being better than you would have ever originally thought.” Ashley Ranere
• “Whenever you feel like you are dying, just push through because it’s worth it in the end.” Meagan McFerren
• “Take in every moment and try to enjoy it rather than wishing senior year would finish up” Brooke Finnerty
• “Stay focused and work hard, but make sure you have fun too, make memories.” Noah Linden

As the Seniors prepare to move on in life they all collectively thank their coaches for years of support and dedication to help make them better athletes. The Seniors would also like to wish the underclassmen good luck and hope they accomplish their goals and have a successful high school career