On Feb. 8, Ransom hosted the first track and field meet of the year on the Gables track. The pre-season quad meet gave the track team a glimpse at what to expect for the season, without having to worry if it would affect their record for the regular season. While the meet may have only served as a practice, the Cavaliers gave their all, and got baseline times they can work to improve as the season progresses.

The meet was attended by Ransom Everglades, Palmer Trinity and Coral Reef, who competed alongside the Cavaliers in almost every event. While the competition was fierce, Gables was still able to place 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in a number of events. Freshman Stephanie Jobe placed first in the girls 100-meter hurdles while junior Jeremy Tooks placed first in the boys 110-meter hurdles. Gables dominated the boys 100-meter dash with senior Terrance Bryant coming in first, senior Yeltsin Mora second, and junior Quinton Curry third. Bryant also led the way in the 200-meter dash finishing first, with Mora following in second, and sophomore Michael Rahming in fourth. In a team effort, the boys pushed and came in first for the 4×100-meter relay. Junior Cavan Wilson helped the Cavaliers in distance placing first in the boys 3200-meter, and third in the 1600-meter, while freshman Kenny Ponce helped mid-distance and finished third in the 800-meter run.

As for field events, sophomore Jada Holton came in second in the girls triple jump, while Curry placed first for boys triple jump. In the throwing events, freshman Na’Kiaya Lane placed second for girls discus, and junior Christian Balsera placed third in boys discus, and fourth in shot put. Gables also demonstrated great success in boys long jump: junior Kieleil Jones placed second, freshman William Fay third, and sophomores Samuel Oyon and George Guiteriez in fourth and fifth.

“I had an awesome time at the meet and I think I performed well, even though I was a bit nervous,” freshman William Fay said.

This meet marks the beginning of coach Carl Springer’s first full year of being the head coach for boys and girls track team. After becoming the Gables track coach in the middle of the 2016 season, Springer has great expectations from the team for the rest of the season. He hopes that the commitment that both he and his runners have to the team will be positively reflected in the meets to come.

Make sure to congratulate your fellow Cavaliers for their outstanding achievements on the track, and wish them luck on the upcoming Louie Bing meet, on Feb. 17.