Unified Track hits the ground running
Coach John Breault watches Aidan Gendron race Jason Sullivan. Photos by Kat Sheridan
Alexis Benjamin races Nathalia Hanley with Etta Hall in the background. 
Halina Silvia runs her leg of the relay race. 
Seniors Kaelyn Zuber, Chace Levasseur, and Emma Garcia lead their teams in the relay race.
Emma Garcia and Alexis Benjamin run together. 
Teammates cheer each other on during 100m trials. 
Halina Silvia and Scott August finish strong!
Delilah Dellecese runs alongside Hayden Barriteau and Etta Hall. 
Andrew Camara runs in the 400 meter.
Sean McKay runs a lap of the track. 
Jason Sullivan leads the charge as the team practices some running. 
Gabriela Ligotti and Etta Hall lead a group of runners through practice. 
Selena Pacheco and Joe Adao finish their run.
Coach John Breault watches Aidan Gendron race Jason Sullivan. Photos by Kat Sheridan
Alexis Benjamin races Nathalia Hanley with Etta Hall in the background.
Halina Silvia runs her leg of the relay race.
Seniors Kaelyn Zuber, Chace Levasseur, and Emma Garcia lead their teams in the relay race.
Emma Garcia and Alexis Benjamin run together.
Teammates cheer each other on during 100m trials.
Halina Silvia and Scott August finish strong!
Delilah Dellecese runs alongside Hayden Barriteau and Etta Hall.
Andrew Camara runs in the 400 meter.
Sean McKay runs a lap of the track.
Jason Sullivan leads the charge as the team practices some running.
Gabriela Ligotti and Etta Hall lead a group of runners through practice.
Selena Pacheco and Joe Adao finish their run.
Athletes and partners from the Dartmouth Unified track and field team sprinted around Dartmouth High School, both trying hard but joking around together as they prepared for the season ahead.
The Dartmouth Unified track and field team is a space for both disabled and able bodied students to compete together. Disabled students are referred to as “athletes” and the able bodied students are “partners.”
“It’s a lot of fun … but oftentimes with track, the numbers don’t show that [the students are disabled,]” said Head Coach John Breault, “And that’s what’s really cool.”
While unified and traditional track and field are very similar, some events are altered for the unified team. For example, in unified track, athletes don’t have a set board they have to jump from for the long jump.
During practice, the students prepare for the meet with distance running, relay practice, races and more. Breault assigns who will be competing in each event, whether it be the 100 meter, the long jump or the 400 meter.
“I hope I can win one of the things that I’ll be doing,” said athlete Chris Lavigne.
There is a spectrum of disabilities on the team, from autism and learning disorders to “really unique disabilities," according to Breault.
“[My older brothers] did it for four years before me,” said partner Andrew Moniz. “They kind of inspired me to do it. It seemed like a great experience when they did it, so I was excited to try it.”
While the team is at its typical size of between 30 and 40 students participating, at 33, the team has a larger than usual number of seniors.
“It’s fun because they’ve been a part of [the team] for quite a while now,” said Breault.
