The first week of May was busy for the Baldwin co-ed track and field team. It started off with team playoffs at Norwin and finished up with the largest invitational in western Pennsylvania, the 43rd annual Baldwin Invitational.
Both the girls and boys teams advanced to team playoffs for the first time in several years, due to a strong performance by the field team throughout the season.
Neither team made WPIAL finals, although the boys fell just short. But the athletes couldn’t let any disappointment affect them, because they had to start preparing for the invitational, which was held just three days later, on May 6.
Several relay teams received medals at the invitational, including the boys 4×800 meter, boys 4×400 meter, and girls 4×100 meter.
The huge scope of the invitational puts pressure on athletes, but also on the coaches who have to plan, prepare and run the event. Families and friends also come to support and cheer on the athletes, which helps create a competitive and fun environment.
“Our job as hosts is to allow the athletes to compete in a championship setting and get a feel for the experience,” Head Coach Ed Helbig said.
As the season headed to a close, both the girls and boys teams are saying goodbye to between 10 and 15 seniors. Both coaches and teammates hope that next year, there will be enough new athletes to make up for the large loss.
“They’ll really have to push more next year in order to fill the void,” senior Nick Altavilla said.
Although the year consisted of ups and downs for the track teams, athletes said they were pleased with both the individual and team success that has been attained. And the seniors hope they portrayed a positive image to the underclassmen and encouraged them to excel next year.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. If it’s going to happen it will, and that’s why you have to keep going,” senior Phillip Harding said.