‘I love being here’: Boys track celebrates the social, physical aspects of the sport

For the last three years that Peter Breault has served as head coach of the Dartmouth High School boys track and field team, he has looked forward to the day when he would be coaching this very team.

“I’ve watched this group of seniors grow and mature,” Breault said. 

With the majority of this year’s team being upperclassmen — nearly half the team alone being seniors — Breault said he’s expecting a season of “good individual performances and hopefully that will translate to some of our team wins in our dual meets.”

He said the team’s conference is “pretty tough,” but he continues to instill his message of growth and persistence in the upperclassmen. 

For underclassmen and those newer to the sport, track offers a more relaxed atmosphere, allowing the young athletes to become comfortable with the events they do and find where they are, so they can figure out what they want to improve.

While the upperclassmen are preparing for opportunities in higher-level competitions and breaking school records, they are also taking the time to mentor those new to track and helping instill the same passion that kept them a part of the sport for so long.

Breault emphasized the dedication and hard work of those seniors who have spent the last four years building the culture of the track program, specifically highlighting his three captains, seniors Nathaniel Wentworth, Tyler Medeiros and Andre Capataz. 

“They’re some of the best young men I’ve been able to coach and they’re doing a fantastic job leading,” he said. “It’s just been a good season so far and we’re kind of just getting started.”

Wentworth and Medeiros said they have been members of the team all four years of high school. For them, track has not only been a way to stay in shape and compete, but a place where they’ve been able to form bonds with peers and coaches.

“It’s been a really great four years. It’s been a great experience,” Wentworth said, adding how sad it was to think about this being his very last season of sports. 

Medeiros said although he does plan to do track in college, the program at Dartmouth has become a “family” to him. He added he hopes to find ways to ensure this team dynamic is passed on.

As captain this season, Wentworth said his goal is for everyone to try their hardest. 

“When you work hard and put the work in every day, you feel satisfied with what you put out during the meets and how you feel about it,” he said.

Medeiros agreed, adding how everyone who joins track wants to improve themselves in some way and he wants to help them reach their goals, but also to have fun while they do it — because that’s what keeps them motivated, he said.

Originally joining to get in shape, Medeiros said he didn’t expect track to become his favorite sport, but it has and now he’s been able to meet all of his friends and coaches who are an important part of his life. “I love being here,” he said.

Wentworth said, “Everybody should give track a chance. You don’t need to be athletic. You just come out here every day, you put the work in — you’ll see signs.”

“I’ve met my best friends in track,” he said. “The kids I've met in high school that I hangout with all the time, I met in track and I think it’s a great place socially and physically for you.”