The Deerfield Track & Field team traveled to Phillips Andover Academy’s Sorota Outdoor Track on Saturday, April 16, to compete in a tri-meet against Andover and Taft. Conditions were chilly and windy, and the athletes happily remained warm in their new green and white track suits until it was time to step on the line. In their first scored and counted meet since the 2019 spring season, the Deerfield boys prevailed over both Andover and Taft by a score of 79.5 to 76 to 24.5 in an effort that required scoring contributions from nearly every event.

Field events were underway throughout the meet, and Deerfield received scoring performances from Chigozie Oge-Evans and Tyler Simon in the discus and shot put, Alex Volkman in the discus, Wedner Cadet in the high jump and long jump, Barack Mwesigwa and Muyi Woghiren in the high jump, Songa Rwamucyo, Jarvis Shema, and Isaac Bakare in the triple jump, and Jaden Joseph in the pole vault. Spreading points across six of the seven field events, these athletes and their many teammates who jumped, threw, and vaulted along with them contributed crucial points to the team victory.

Track events began with Deerfield’s 4×100 meter relay team claiming first place with a second-in-school history performance. 4×100 participants Nick Peltekian (100 meters), Alex Haight (100 meters) and Elic Ayomanor (100 meters, 200 meters) contributed as well with scoring performances in multiple sprinting events. Barack Mwesigwa and Max Kainamura scored in the 110 Hurdles and the 300 Hurdles respectively, while Nico Arce (200 meters and 400 meters) and Tino Munochiveyi (400 meters) rounded out the sprint events with first and second-place finishes. In the distance events, Deerfield ran evenly with Andover and ahead of Taft, with Robbie Hua (1500 meters) and Carson Bynum (3000 meters) placing second in their respective events, while three runners, Quinn Hampson, Tomas Cushman, and Max Wang, scored in the 800 meters.

Heading into the meet’s final event, the 4×400 meter relay, Deerfield trailed Andover by a score of 76-74.5. Following a clutch win by the team of Munochiveyi, Hua, Cadet, and Arce, Deerfield drove victorious down Route 2 to the Pocumtuck Valley, looking forward to hosting the Hunt Relays on April 23.