Leland boys and girls track and field is ready to sprint to personal records this spring season.
The first meet is expected to happen against Buckley for a Northwest Conference Jamboree along with Glen Lake Friday if the weather warms up.
Leland junior Natalie Burpee is returning with high hopes after shining in the long distance races for the Comets.
“My main goal for the season is just steady progress. As a junior, I have a pretty heavy class load so I focused on maintaining a balance of not putting too much stress on me. I want to make steady improvements and I’ve got a couple goals for times,” Burpee said. “For the first week, it’s really just putting yourself out there. It’s a starting point, so I don’t think anybody’s expected to have their best times or anything. In fact, if they had their best times there, then that wouldn’t be a good thing because nobody’s making progress then.”
Burpee and Sophie Grinage were two legs that led the Comets to a 3200-meter relay state championship appearance with a time of 10:42.3, narrowly beating Buckley (10:42.85) last season to capture a regional championship.
Burpee shined in the two-mile run and finished 21st with a time of 12:43 at states and qualified for the prestigious meet for the second year in-a-row.
Burpee is excited for the plenty of new freshman this year to get experience.
The junior is gearing up for distance events with hopes of competing in some sprint to improve foot speed and earn points for the Comets.
“My favorite thing about our track team is that we’re a very small team, so we all know each other really well, and there’s a lot of camaraderie between our teammates. If somebody’s ever having a bad day people are always right there for them and cheering them on. That’s my favorite thing about our team is just how close we all are,” Burpee said.
Leland freshman Campbell Fedderman earned an honorable mention nod for the boys dream team last season alongside sophomore teammate Beckett DeFour.
“Throughout last season I was pretty consistent and level and I didn’t grow too much over the season. This year I’m really trying to get that number up and be intentional during practice for high jump and long distance. I can do a lot better,” Fedderman said.
Fedderman shined at the middistances and DeFour captured a regional championship in high jump. Fedderman finished 10th in the region during the 400-meters.
“‘I’m excited to get a good start … I know the first meet is always is a big deal, and it sets you up for your goals for the rest of the season,” Fedderman said.
DeFour is hoping for even higher heights during his sophomore season.
“High jump wise, I’m hoping for six foot. To see that state meet again, that’d be cool,” DeFour said. “Being able to socialize and cheer my teammates is my favorite thing about track.”
Leland does not have a physical track at the school and practices at Glen Lake every Thursday.
