Milana Varon

Shellman sees her parents as her biggest inspiration and motivators.

After winning a medal at the Baldwin Invitational track meet last year, sophomore Olivia Shellman wants to push herself throughout the rest of high school and into college.

“My greatest accomplishment would have to be when I won a medal from the Baldwin Invitational, because it was one of the biggest meets we had all season,” Shellman said.

She won her heat of the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.6 seconds. She finished in the top eight, earning a medal. She looked at her father right away after finishing the race because “he was cheering for me at the finish line,” she said.

Shellman had always dreamed of doing track. But it wasn’t until her younger brother, freshman Noah Shellman, joined the team that she realized it was time for her to start doing what she loved.

“I have wanted to do track since I was in kindergarten but never did until I hit eighth grade. My little brother joined before I did, and he made me realize I should join the team too,” Shellman said.

Shellman has been a sprinter for three years now. Her parents have motivated her.

“My biggest inspiration is my parents, because no matter how bad I think I am, they always tell me I did great and make sure I don’t talk down on myself. But they keep me grounded and are brutally honest with me,” Shellman said.

Senior teammate Grace Wyse said Shellman had been an asset to the high school team from the start.

“I thought it was crazy with her only being a freshman and she was already outrunning the upperclassmen,” Wyse said, referring to last season.

Another sprinter, sophomore Jewell Stevens, said Shellman is a great teammate as well as a strong runner.

“Olivia contributes to the team by not only putting her best efforts forward in all of her events and winning almost all her heats, but also just by being a good and supportive teammate,” Stevens said

This is the second year that Shellman and Stevens are running together.

“Olivia and I run the 4×100 together and she has always brought a good energy to the track, which is another reason I think she is a great runner,” Stevens said.

Stevens has seen the strides that Shellman has taken as a runner.

“I think Olivia has really improved her form, ultimately bettering her agility overall,” Stevens said.

Shellman knows she needs to keep working to improve her running times. She said her form has improved greatly since the start of the season because of her block starts.

“If I continue to improve on that during the summer, I could shorten my times really well. It will also prepare me for next season,” Shellman said.

Shellman said her favorite memory on the track team so far was her whole freshman season.

“I had a great time last year with all my friends,” she said.