The spring season for the Jefferson track team ended with the Northern Region Championships at Robinson High School on May 24.

Although the team was unable to send any athletes to States, seniors Mossab Alsadig, Alan Barte, Jake Doran, Dan Matson, Lizzy Miranda, Sean Waterton, Kevin Zeng and Brandon Zhang; juniors Muthu Chidambaram, Alyssa Bruce, Raeford Penny, James Simon and Grace Zeng; sophomore Monique Mezher and freshman Jesse Cai were able to compete after qualifying for Regionals.

“The fact that nobody made it to states was a huge surprise for me. There were at least three people on the team I thought had a really good chance at going to States,” Zhang said. “I think the reason they weren’t able to make it was just a matter of luck. The second day of Regionals was much colder than most expected it to be, so maybe that affected the performances of some of the athletes on the team.”

Despite the disappointment of not being able to advance, athletes are still looking forward to a successful season next year.

“The season wasn’t the best, and I wish I had done better,” Mezher said, “but the fact that I could have done better sparks motivation for training next season.”

The graduating seniors will miss the experiences they had with their team members as they go off to college.

“The best part of track was definitely the people. As much as I enjoy competing, you don’t receive much gratification from simply running like you would from playing a game of basketball,” Waterton said. “The people on the track team defined the experience for me.”

Although track at Jefferson may be over for most athletes, some are pursuing other outlets to continue running.

On June 14, Alsadig, Barte, Chidambaram and Penny are planning to run as a relay at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in North Carolina, hosted by the popular footwear company after using their times from the 100, 200 and 400 meters dash as a projected seed time to qualify. They will be running in the Emerging Elite category.

“Since we’re competing in Emerging Elite, our goal would be to medal,” Chidambaram said. “I think we have a reasonable chance at winning medals.”