Head Coaches Saleena Rashed and Rachel Pugh led Girls Varsity Track and Field (GVTF) to a dominant season, Coach Rashed said, in which school records, Independent School League (ISL) records, and personal records were broken with a team mindset focused on self-growth and care. Even though many of the girls contracted COVID during the season, which often led to last minute event changes or limited numbers of runners, the team ended third in the ISL.

“We always tell our athletes that it’s not about how you cross the finish line, it’s how you get there,” Coach Rashed said.

Additionally, Coach Rashed said the team approached the season with gratitude about being able to compete after past canceled seasons.

High jump school record holder and 100-meter hurdler Avery Hart ’25 was disappointed when the National Championships were canceled last year and she couldn’t train as often as she hoped, she said, which slowed her progress.

“[My 2021 goals], like clearing 5-feet-2 in the high jump, were finally able to be fulfilled this season, which felt great as it was nice to have a season with less COVID precautions where I could see strong progress from the start to the end.”

Part of that accomplishment, Avery said, was the way Coach Rashed pushed her toward personal growth beyond the track.

“Not only does she help athletes with their performance, but she also keeps in mind mental health and helps athletes with her one-on-one talks,” Avery said.

For Melissa Bulman ’23, the team’s third place finish in the ISL Championship meet on May 14 under challenging weather conditions was a highlight of the season.

“People on our team showed up even if they weren’t competing to support the runners. Everyone had a great attitude and cheered each other on even under the hot sun,” she said.

“There were a lot of teams there with a lot of great athletes, but we got third place which shows that we work hard no matter the conditions.”