Girls Track Sprints to Borough Championship

Girls Track competes at the Armory for the Brooklyn Borough Championship. *Photo: @midwoodgirls_xctf*

By DORIS CHEN and YUEHAN DAI

The starting gun echoed through the Armory Track on February 8, and the Girls Track Team exploded off the line. Sprinting, throwing, jumping, and racing towards every finish line, the Hornets piled up 85 points to claim the Brooklyn Borough Championship.

The victory, which marked Midwood’s first Borough Championship in three years, was the result of months of preparation that began long before the indoor season started.

Captains Jahzara Garcia Tucker ‘26 and Neira Eugene ‘26 played key leadership roles, both on and off the track.

“They’re like coaches," Coach Randall Joseph said. “They get the runners in order, they correct them, they guide them, and the girls lean on them a lot.”

Eugene, the top scorer of the meet, finished with 24 points in total. She placed second in the 600m with a time of 1:40.09 to earn eight points, second in the 1000m (3:11.72) for another eight, and helped the 4x400m relay team place second (4:20.29) to add eight more points.

Garcia Tucker, who has been on the team since her freshman year, also ran in the 4x400m relay. “Track is definitely a mental sport,” Garcia Tucker said. “If you're not mentally prepared for your race, it's not going to be a good one.”

“I tell [the girls], this is what you’ve been training for, you’ve been having good practices, now’s the time to shine,” Eugene said.

“I just try to keep them motivated as much as possible,” Garcia Tucker said, “reminding them why we’re here and that we’re a team.”

“In my individual races, I remember I was, like, dying, thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, we still have another lap left,’” Eugene said. “But I really wanted to score and get into placing. So I fought through it and finished.”

The well-rounded team capitalized on its talent in a variety of events.

Jinlin Chen ‘28 placed first with a 9:57.12 in the 1500m racewalk, securing a crucial ten points for the team. “It felt amazing,” she said. “I just started racewalking this year, and I put in a lot of effort and work.”

With five judges watching closely for violations, the pressure was high.

“It was really intense,” Chen said. “But the team spirit got me through it. Everyone was yelling for me. I also want to say thank you to my coach – he pushed me to do my best.”

Cherry Amancio ‘26 has been on the track team since her sophomore year. Amancio holds a school record for the girls’ weight throw and is ranked number one in Brooklyn and fourth statewide.

In the field events, Amancio placed second in the weight throw with a mark of 44-07.25 to earn eight points, and fourth in the shot put with a mark of 25-10.25 to add four more. She placed first overall, earning her a spot at the state championship.

“I had a specific goal. I came out there to win and to score points for my team,” she said, “so I just had to lock in and do what I have to do.”

Noelle Barone ‘27 placed fourth in the 3000m (11:47.14), scoring four points for the team. She also competed in the 4x800m relay, placing third (10:50.30) for six more points.

"I've had a lot of struggles running distance because I’ve been getting tired, and my stamina isn’t what it was my freshman year,” Barone said, but the 3000m “proved to me that I still am a distance runner.”

With the relay, “I wasn’t focused on how I was feeling, more on realizing that I have to make sacrifices and do the best I can for my friends,” Barone said. “We knew that we were there for a reason, and we didn’t let the pressure scare us off.”

After the 4x800m, Midwood had built an eleven point lead with one event remaining, and no team could make up the difference.

“We were the loudest in the stands,” Garcia Tucker said. “We wanted our athletes to hear us on the track.” The girls erupted in cheers, jumping up and down rushing onto the track, posing for photos with the plaque.

“It took a full team effort,” Mr. Joseph said. “This was one of our team goals for the year, and it came true. I was very proud of their performance – another mission accomplished.”