With another indoor season complete, the Fort Lee track team now focuses on the quickly approaching start to the spring session that begins this weekend.
During the winter months, both the boys and the girls finished third in the Big North Division championships, but now approach a new season outdoors.
The girls' team, guided by head coach Demba Mane, expect to finish about halfway up the league standings, while the boys have higher expectations as coach Ed Garrison has already seen his team ranked as high as 23rd in the Bergen Record.
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“It’s a great start,” Garrison said. “But, again, our goal at the end of the season is to be down at the teens or even better. The potential is here at Fort Lee.”
The 36-year track coach thinks he has another contender with this team.
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“We will be a contender in the league,” he continued, “because on the track, we are very strong.”
The team returns senior Frankie Goris in the 100 and also has the benefit of three-sport junior Tyler Sanders, who plays football and basketball as well.
The Bridgemen also added coach Bill Straub and Danny Cerrone to the mix in an effort to improve some weaknesses, including the throwing events.
“Last year…in many meets, we were giving up almost 27 points in the [shotput], disk, and javelin,” coach Garrison said looking back on the previous season. “The coaches are enthusiastic; it’s convincing our kids that we can win the league championship.”
The boys are looking to improve on some depth entering the early season meets and already some young athletes are emerging.
Junior Yakim Namaguchi is back as another thrower on the team, in addition to competing in the sprinting races. Sophomore Larry Wu has also impressed the coach recently.
Garrison said, “Today he came out of nowhere to make varsity height very good.”
As the boys must deal with the loss of junior Nick Gogic to the baseball team, the girls are faced with the task of rebuilding after the departure of eight seniors from a year ago.
The team does still have whiz kid senior Nancie Sophias back for another season with high expectations from coach Mane.
“[Sophias] is going to surprise a lot of people,” the coach said of the 600 meter winner from the indoor season. “She has the potential to get to the states.”
The team also returns seniors Ollie Pappas and Arev Dinkjian, who is expected to have a larger role following her time with the Lady Bridgemen basketball team.
“[Arev] is going to be running the 1600, 3200, and I’m going to have her on some relay teams,” said Mane about Dinkjian.
With a few more open spots, it leaves a vacancy for some younger athletes like freshmen Ashley Jenq and Melanie Plattner.
“Melanie is running some great times now as a freshman,” the coach said.
The Lady Bridgemen are looking to improve in events such as sprints but only have a few more days before the season officially begins with the first meet.
Fort Lee will compete in the Season Opening Invitation on Saturday at Indian Hills. It has many of the coaches, who donned the extra layers on Wednesday, thinking of warmer times to come.
“I cannot wait,” Mane said smiling. “I can’t wait for the weather to change. Also, the weather just makes the kids feel like they want to run. When it’s cold, no one wants to be out there.”
So as the calander turns to April, Fort Lee turns to the next track season.
