Dartmouth High School boys and girls track are no longer a part of a league and the team is now reaping the benefits. 

Hosting another meet in the Carlin Lynch Activity Center on Friday, Jan. 17, Head Coach John Breault explained that in the past, the whole team would have to travel to Boston for every meet. Now that they are playing independently this year, they are able to host some of their meets in the high school gym.

“It’s flown by this year, too,” Breault added.

He said Bridewater-Raynam is doing the same this year, as they would have been the only two schools in the Southeast Conference. 

Head Coach Caitlin McCarron-Deely said the season had a “smooth start” and the teams are packed with juniors and seniors. 

“We’ve had a bunch of kids already qualify for the Division 3 meet,” she said, adding a number of them are “so close” to meeting that same mark. 

The track season has two parts, Breault said, “We hit this kind of point and the season’s winding down for the majority, but then for our top competitors, the season’s just picking up.”

A number of athletes are also looking to break some school records this year, with Senior Jackson Hart already breaking the 6.77 second 55-meter dash record.

Similar to previous record holder James Martin, Hart is competing in winter track for the first time this year. Playing basketball the last three winter seasons, Hart decided to change it up to have a bit more freedom.

Hart may have only broken the record by .01 seconds, but he said he’s made his goal to break it again, working on his block start even after practice.

“I definitely want to try to get some distance on that record, so I can hold it for a little bit,” he said.

“Speed has been one of my best traits since I was young,” Hart said, adding how “exciting” it is to break a record in his first season of the sport.

Girls and boys four-by-200 meter teams are both looking to break the school record this year.

McCarron-Deely said, “We’re really lucky with our teams — regardless of seniors or sophomores — they’re all very close to each other, so we’re always very happy to see them continue to support each other — be engaged.”

She added, “Even though we’re kind of at this individual racing and competition format — they are still always in the stands, cheering for each other and celebrating when they [get a personal record].”

Senior Captain Sophie Wentworth, who competes in the 55-meter dash, 300-meter dash and long jump, said she’s been competing in winter track since her freshman year, but decided to focus on volleyball last year. 

Being a senior on the team this year is “really crazy because I feel like I’ve seen so many generations of seniors graduate before me and now my grade is the role model,” she said.

She added she’s been working to “herd everyone together,” make sure they are stretching, doing the right drills and that the younger ones are doing OK and making connections with the rest of the team.

Wentworth said she loves track because “everyone just brings each other up and I love that. With other sports, there’s just so much drama, but with track, people just bring each other up and it’s such a positive environment.”