It’s well-known that Newfield has had a proud history when it comes to their track and field teams. For all the success that the boys outdoor track team in particular has had over the years, one item that was missing from its trophy cabinet was an IAC championship.
But over a beautiful two-day span in Trumansburg, that all changed.
For the first time in program history, the Trojans were crowned IAC Small School champions. Newfield entered the meet as one of the most experienced teams in the league with 17 seniors on their roster. The phrase ‘one last dance’ is often used to describe teams with such a senior-heavy presence, and that acted as a motivating factor that spread down to their underclassmen.
“They know they have a lot of pressure on their back,” said coach Richie Dorval. “They work so well together… It’s different than when I was in school when I was a freshman, and you didn’t really talk to those seniors as much. You’re kind of scared of them a little bit. You just looked up to them more. It’s so nice to see this generation how the seniors are taking those younger ones under their wing.”
That sort of deep bond is especially apparent at a small school like Newfield. What’s not small is the program itself. Across both the boys and girls teams, the Trojans boast 48 track and field athletes. When Dorval first started five years ago, they had just seven athletes on their indoor team. While that number was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth of the program has still been astounding.
“I think it’s a combination of the success people see of the program and then the recruiting that [coach Ricky] Stewart and I do throughout the winter season. He’s on the basketball team. I’m on the indoor team, so I’m always recruiting the indoor athletes… I think everyone sees how track is different than those other sports. If you go to a track meet, everyone’s very supportive of each other.”
The Trojans’ most notable standout performance at IACs was with Malcolm Jenkins. The senior won the long jump and triple jump and also won the triple jump at the Section IV Class D championships. In that event, he broke the school record at IACs with a leap of 42 feet and 4.25 inches, a mark that had stood for 11 years. He has also been a tremendous leader, specifically helping out freshman Fred Rivera in the long jump.
“He’s been amazing this season, as always,” Dorval said. “Breaking school records left and right, great athlete, extremely coachable. He just applies all the adjustments immediately. He’s a natural leader, consistently encouraging the younger athletes. He’s very humble, as well. That’s who all the younger athletes are looking up to. His character is amazing. He earned the IAC Character Counts Award, so that’s very fitting for him.”
LeMari Spears has also enjoyed a phenomenal senior season, winning the high jump at IACs and placing fourth in the event at sectionals.
“He’s another athlete who has strong motivation, hardest worker you’ll ever meet,” Dorval said. “He’s always at practice, staying late after practice. I’ll come on the weekends to the track to do my workouts, and I see him doing high jump training, so he’s always there. He’s putting in the work.”
The boys team, who also finished in third place at sectionals, have had quite a few other standout performers. Senior Pierce Brocker has excelled in the hurdles, winning the 400-meter hurdles and was runner-up in the 110-meter hurdles at IACs while also placing fourth in the pentathlon. He also had top-three finishes in both hurdling events at sectionals. Senior Michael Cahill placed second in the triple jump at IACs, while junior Brookes Rainbow has impressed in the pole vault.
The girls team has also had a solid season, finishing runner-up in the IAC South Small division and placed 13th at sectionals. They’ve had to overcome injuries to some key athletes, but they too have seen great performances from Junior Maddie White (3,000-meter run and steeplechase) and her younger sister and freshman Sam (100-meter dash and high jump), senior Cali Bennett (IAC runner-up in the 1,500-meter run), junior Kaden Rink (pentathlon) and senior Sierra Lynch (long jump).
Heading into state qualifiers from June 3-4 at Union-Endicott, the Trojans will no doubt bring a confident mindset given what they’ve already accomplished in this historic season.
“We’ve been working on [confidence] a lot this season,” Dorval said. “Some of the kids get in their head a lot, and I try to tell them to just have fun with it. At this point of the season, we’re not going to be doing as much intense training right now. We’re just working on form and that sort of thing. I think just coming in with the positive mindset is the biggest thing for them to see that success.”
