The Normal West track program is seeing success on both sides.
The boys’ side of the field emphasizes the young roster they have gained this season.
“One thing I have noticed is how young we are compared to past years. Alex is really our only senior who leads the lines (in warmups),” Junior Cody Muhlbauer said.
Similarly, the girls’ side lost many upperclassmen from the graduating class of 2025, as well.
This created a shift they had to maintain leaning on some powerful underclassmen.
“We’re really young this year. We have a lot of new girls and a lot of our really good girls didn’t return this year… We just have a new team,” Senior Jaiden Temples stated.
This was one of the few setbacks they have had over the year, but both squads are adjusting and seeing success.
In particular, sophomore Ayva Davis has taken major strides this season and has seen success in events that she was not familiar with a year ago.
“Ayva, she tried a new event, and she broke the record in that event already,” Temples said, “And she’s on track to go to state in like all of her events.”
Temples also explained that the team culture and chemistry are unmatched, giving them an advantage in some parts of the field.
“Probably our relationships, like our relays, are all really close with each other. So we all have a bond that other relays might not have,” Temples added.
Overall, the team is a supportive group–always seeking and hoping for the best from everyone.
“Our team, it’s real, we’re a really supportive team. Your accomplishments don’t go unnoticed, and people are always there supporting you and shouting you out, Temples noted.
The boys’ side has a little bit of a twist on chemistry and bonds, and they emphasized a focus on trust, accountability, and friendship.
“Our team, we have just been together for so long, and our bond is really there. We were able to just connect on a really deep level, build each other up, we’re able to get on each other’s butts at practice,” Muhlbauer said.
When asked “what is needed to succeed,” they turned to the “trust factor,” giving an example of when it is necessary.
“When you’re trying to do things, like, especially track-related, getting a baton around the track, you need to be able to trust your teammates and then, the person that you’re supposed to be handing it off to,” Senior Tyquawn Page said.
The boys rely on friendship, and for them, it comes to practicing and meets.
“I learned that the track team is more this year than any other year; literally, everyone is really good friends across the board. We all get along really, really well…” senior captain Alex Carter said.
Breaking records along the way
Both teams have shared success in breaking records this season.
“Ryan [Temples] is breaking a lot of her own records,” big sister and teammate Jaiden Temples explained.
Ryan has broken the school record in the long jump as a sophomore. She is on the radar to be a top state contender.
“Ava tried a new event, and broke the record in that event already. She’s on track to go to state in all of her events,” Jaiden said.
Switching to the boys’ side, Junior Damir Harris has had his breakout season, as well.
“We’re hoping to see Damir get his 11th record this year,” Carter stated.
With Muhlbauer returning, the team is hoping he gets back to breaking his own records from last year.
Overcoming Early Season Setbacks
Both girls’ and boys team has faces significant hurdles early on in the season but managed to exceed expectations.
Most of the top contenders on the boys’ team have faced similar injuries at the start of the season.
“Yeah, the season definitely started a little bit rough. Since everybody in this room [Cody Muhlbauer, Tyquawn Page, and Damir Harris] pulled their hamstring at some point,” Carter stated.
There was a different kind of setback for the girls starting this season, though.
The girls now have a young team after losing many seniors last year.
“This year we lost a lot of people, so that was like a setback, but it hasn’t stopped us. We just pushed through it and adapted with the runners we had,” Temples stated.
Competitive Goals
As the season starts to come to a close, the teams reflect on goals made at the beginning of the season, one of those being a conference title.
“We can get first, but it’ll be really close for the top 3 with us, Centennial, and Danville,” Temples explained.
The boys set three main goals at the beginning of every season.
“We have 3 main goals in the regular season: to win the indoor conference, win the inner city, and win the outdoor conference,” Carter stated.
Losing the indoor conference makes them hungry for the outdoor conference title.
The boys’ outdoor conference took place on May 13th, while the girls’ was on May 8th.
Over the weekend, the girls team placed 1st overall in the conference Big 12 tournament!
The following names were individual Big 12 Champions in their events.
4x100m Relay; 48.48s, Ayva, Jaiden, Ryan, Brooklyn
3200m; 11:30.63, Amanda Warren
300m Hurdles; 56.06, Ayva Davis
800m; 2:16.30 and 1600m; 5:12.62, Julie Bach
Long Jump, 17’11” Ryan Temples
The Boys track outdoor meet is this coming Wednesday, May 13.
