Meet the Captains: Girls Winter Track

Kelly O’Meara                                                                   

(Sprinter Captain)

When did you first begin playing this sport?

Freshman year.

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why?

Corey Coogan. He was my first ever track coach, and he taught me all the little things that you need to know in order to be successful while running, especially how to get out of the blocks. 

What other activities/clubs are you involved in?

Varsity Soccer and Spring Track.

How do you feel going into this season?

The past few seasons we have been very strong, so I’m confident that we will continue to be good. 

What are some goals set for the team this coming season?/How do you plan to achieve these goals?

To win the Herget Title is the big goal this season. We have to work hard all season and try our best.

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why?

Natick, Needham and Wellesley.  These three teams are usually our hardest meets of the season.

 

Savannah Campbell

(Mid-Distance Captain)

When did you first begin playing this sport?

Freshman year.

Do you want to continue this sport in college?

Yes.

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why?

Mr. Ostaszewski because he was my first track coach at the high school.

What other activities/clubs are you involved in?

Cross Country and Outdoor Track.

How do you feel going into this season?

Excited to see what this new team can accomplish.

What are some goals set for the team this coming season?/How do you plan to achieve these goals?

Win the Herget and get as many people as possible to qualify for divisionals.

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why?

Needham because they were the only team to beat us in the Herget division last season.

 

Michela O’Toole

(Shot-Put Captain)

When did you first begin playing this sport?

I have been part of running clubs and teams since third grade, but I started Indoor Track specifically freshman year. 

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why?

Mrs. Murphy because she has been my coach since the sixth grade and has always pushed to be the best that I can be.

What other activities/clubs are you involved in?

I participate in Outdoor Track and Field, and I am also a member of the WHS Humane Society.

How do you feel going into this season?

I feel that our team has a lot of potential to succeed this indoor season, but we would have to stay focused and goal oriented to do so.

What are some goals set for the team this coming season?/How do you plan to achieve these goals?

A major goal we have is to win the Herget, which is done by finishing the season undefeated. Another goal we have is to send as many competitors as possible to invitational meets, which is met by teammates meeting the qualifying standards for each specific invitational.

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why?

A big rival of ours is Needham because they have a team that is strong in every event, and they were the only team we lost to in the Herget last Indoor season.

 

Colleen Barry

(Distance Captain)

When did you first begin playing this sport?

Freshman year.

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why?

Mrs. Murphy has been a prominent coach in my track career because she has been my winter track coach for all four years, and she always pushes the team and encourages us to try new events.

What other activities/clubs are you involved in?

Cross Country, Spring Track and Journalism.

How do you feel going into this season?

I feel pretty confident going into this season because we have a good group of returning athletes as well as freshman with a wide range of talent across the board, so they will be able to fill the spots of the seniors who left.

What are some goals set for the team this coming season?/How do you plan to achieve these goals?

Some of our goals going into the season is to with the Herget and to qualify as many people as possible for Divisionals. We plan to achieve these goals by working hard at practice and pushing each other during practice.

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why?

One of our big opponents is Needham because they have a strong, competitive group of girls.

 

Katie Murtagh 

(Hurdles Captain)

When did you first begin playing this sport?

I began spring track my freshman year, but I didn’t start hurdles until spring track of my sophomore year when my coaches finally convinced me.

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why?

Ms. Rafferty, my hurdles coach, because she had faith in me and never gave up on me. She continued to beg me to join hurdles, and once I did, she taught me how to improve on my form and helped me get much better.

What other activities/clubs are you involved in?

I work in a daycare, taking care of preschoolers. Also, I volunteer weekly at a hospital, helping out nurses and cheering up patients. 

How do you feel going into this season?

I feel confident going into this season after having a stress fracture that kept me out for most of the last season, but now I am back with no injuries and ready for my hurdles squad to sweep against Needham our first meet.

What are some goals set for the team this coming season?/How do you plan to achieve these goals?

I hope we can win all our dual meets and break more school records this year. I think we have the potential to be a really great team and make it to divisionals from our hard-working coaches and captains.

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why?

Natick and Wellesley are some of our big rivals because the meets are always so close and there is lots of competition across the events.

 

Rachel Stanton

(Weight Room Captain)

When did you first begin playing this sport?

I started running competitively in eighth grade, however I first joined Indoor Track as a freshman.

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why?

Coach Murphy has been a prominent coach in my career, as she has coached me since middle school and continues to motivate me each and every day. She always puts in her best effort to make running fun for us all.

What other activities/clubs are you involved in?

Cross Country, Outdoor Track, NHS, Green Team and Social Media Director of The Rebellion.

How do you feel going into this season?

I feel confident that we will have great success this season. Without the Class of 2019, we have few, if any, returning hurdlers, throwers and jumpers. We have filled these spots with underclassmen who are still learning, but I am confident that they will step up to the plate and earn some key points for us this season.

What are some goals set for the team this coming season?/How do you plan to achieve these goals?

We hope to defeat Needham and the rest of the teams in the Herget, qualify as many individuals as we can to Invitationals such as Coaches, Divisionals and All States, and set countless personal records. The only way we can achieve these goals is if we continue to work hard and support each other both on and off the track. 

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why?

Needham is our biggest opponent this season as we lost to them last winter, losing the Herget Championship. In spring, we defeated them in order to bring the Herget title back to Walpole. Although we cannot count out the other strong teams in our conference, the faceoff between Needham and us will be important.