In the last weekend of April, 13 Deerfield track athletes participated in the 4x100m and 4x400m races at the 127th Penn Relays. The girls’ 4x400m team (Campbell Fealy ’24, Alexis Miller ’24, Josephine Louis ’23, and Kaelin Creagh ’24) came in first place, beating Loomis Chaffee; in addition to winning the wheel, a prestigious award given to event champions, the girls set a new school record of 4:03:86, beating the previous one by three seconds. The boys’ 4x100m team (Jackson Rose ’23, Brady Stahelski ’23, Christian Reavis ’23, and Triston Ward ’24) also earned gold medals in the Independent Preparatory Schools category. Fealy, Miller, Creagh, and Alex Hermsdorf ’25 represented the girls in the 4x100m and got second in their heat, earning silver medals. Farouk Mukhtar ’24, Owen Haight ’24, Barack Mwesigwa ’24, and Chandler Dicks ’23 competed in the 4x400m and placed third overall, and received bronze medals. The Penn Relays are one of the oldest track competitions in America and host thousands of track athletes annually. The results at the Penn Relays reflect the overall commitment, achievement, and devotion to the track program that students have exhibited throughout this year and past years. With weather fluctuations and cancellations of races, the Varsity Track Team has continued to practice and race despite some roadblocks. Track Coach Tara Keegan said, “It’s a really exciting time for Deerfield track. The boys’ team has really become a top-notch program, [and] the girls’ team is a program on the rise… and so the goal is to expand the event areas contributing to their success and maintain it while also maintaining a good and fun environment.” Dr. Keegan worked closely with all of Deerfield’s track athletes throughout this season and later attended the Penn Relays with the selected 13 who raced. She noted that the track team is different from other sports in that they do not have as many meets. The track team’s main goal is to train for New England’s, where they will compete against many other prep schools, such as their main competition, Loomis Chaffee School. Loomis Chaffee was also at Penn Relays, and just as the Academy beat them in a couple of races, Loomis beat Deerfield in others. Besides winning, the coaches aim to create a fun and empowering environment for Deerfield’s student-athletes. Head Boys Track Coach Andy Stallings said that both his and Head Girls Track Coach Callie Gray’s goals for the track team were “to present a program that would help athletes stay healthy throughout the season.” In this sense, they are attempting to facilitate an athletically challenging environment by putting together a series of practices where students can form meaningful connections and friendships, despite participating in an endurance sport. The coaches’ goal has been accomplished as Campbell Fealy ’24 and Alexis Miller ’24, who have been running for six years, said they had a positive experience with Deerfield track. Fealy said, “It is really fun making an individual sport feel like a team through bonding activities.” Miller added that “it is a really fun team,” which makes her want to continue. The Penn Relays are an opportunity for Deerfield’s track athletes to compete at a high level against other high school teams in the country outside of just the prep school league. Deerfield’s continuous success in these events is due to students’ participation, and the team encourages people to keep joining. Dr. Keegan remarked, “I think it just takes a foot in the door; with track, people just have to give it a chance, and then they find that they love it.”