After coaching at FHN for ten years and also coaching at Warten, LaMounte, and Osborne before, head track coach Dr. Greg Hennenfent says he is trying to do something that has never been done before,

which is winning JV and Varsity girls and JV and Varsity boys State.

“Both boys and girls have more of a chance to qualify this year,” Hennenfent said. “There’s not many seniors, but we’re heavy on the juniors, and the freshmen and sophomores are about equal. Although every year there is at least one freshman who steps up and qualifies, and last year that was Coleen Grone.”

This year there are 192 students on the track team, which is up about 50 from last year, seeing as there was about 140 last year. The team could possibly get even bigger because the team usually gains even more runners after the other spring sports teams make their cuts. After being cut from other sports teams, students sometimes join track.

“I think there are way too many people on the team as it is,” sophomore Brooke Lucas said. “I think people should get cut that aren’t good and it should be like every other sport. Why lie to someone when they are not capable of getting any better? I think some people don’t take it seriously and it’s annoying because I’m very competitive.”

In order to reach State, athletes must compete in a race at school, and then qualify for a District meet for an individual event. The top four from Districts qualifies for Sectionals from each event, then the top four from Sectionals for each event go to State. There are 16 total qualifiers for State and out of those 16, eight of them place.

“Even if you don’t place at State, it is still huge just making it there because the worst you can do is sixteenth in the state which is outstanding,” Hennenfent said.

On March 23 and 26 the track team will have a dual meet, which is when runners show to the coaches their ability and challenge other runners to a race to prove who is better. Then shortly after that on March 31, there is pre-GACs for boys and girls. There will be 26 other schools there, which will bring around 700 athletes. Almost directly after that, three days later on April 3, is Friday Night Relay.