Track and field may not be very popular here at Tuscarora High School, but it really should be.
After the football season ended how it ended people should try to support and show love to a sport that goes out there and really shows out during the winter season. Tuscarora should be seen as a track and field school the way our runners compete.
The track program here is amazing and I got four of our runners here to talk about their experience, accomplishments they have gotten and goals they got for this season.
I’m here with two time national runner Celeste Rodriguez-Aguilar
Rodriguez-Aguilar has been running track since sixth grade and has loved it since. She joined the high school team her freshman year. “Track has been one of the best things to come into my life and its hands down my favorite thing to do,” she says.
I also talked to her about goals and accomplishments. Her biggest goal is to win a state championship for her individual race, says “it would also be cool to win states for a relay team.”
Rodriguez-Aguilar is definitely running in college; her top choices are the air force and naval academies. The biggest accomplishment she has gotten in her track career was placing third in the 1600m sprint medley relay at nationals last year.
I then talked to her about how she feels about the team. She loves her team just as much as she loves the sport. She told me that the chemistry on the team is really good. “I believe that the team chemistry is awesome. I’ve made so many friends through track and everyone is so supportive of each other, especially at meets.”
Her biggest improvement is the ability to keep her composure when she has a full meet schedule, and the one thing she wants to improve is to finish every race strong and to stay calm during the race.
That was Celeste Rodriguez-Aguilar for you, definitely someone to look out for this season as she breaks records and brings home medals.
I now want to talk about a former baseball player turned great runner Justin Banks. Banks joined the track program last year in the winter to get faster for baseball and when spring came around he didn’t join baseball he continued with track and even went to nationals as a first year.
He has loved this sport since he joined as he mentions, “I love track and I’m very grateful that I found this sport rewarding and keeps me grounded.”
This year was Banks’ first year in cross country, and he won many titles — one being a state champ. With him winning state champs, he set a goal for himself to keep winning multiple titles and qualify for states.
Banks, as a first year runner last year, has already gotten many offers to colleges going from D2 to D1 schools. He made his announcement to the team that he will be going to UMBC to continue his track and field and cross country career and will be majoring in psychology.
Banks had a very big accomplishment last year going to nationals, but got even a bigger win this year in cross country. He says this is his biggest accomplishment.
“I’d say the biggest accomplishment I’ve had throughout my track/cross country career so far is winning the cross country regional meet. It was a huge accomplishment and made me even more confident in myself and my abilities.
The track program is a very loving team and we all are supportive. Bank thinks the same and mentions that. “The chemistry on the team is awesome, we all like to joke around but get serious when we need to be.”
The biggest improvement Banks has made is his endurance. “I came into track and had the speed for it but needed to build my endurance/aerobic base. Through outdoor track and especially cross country I was able to do that.”
Banks has the speed and endurance now but he wants to build more on his speed to be able to win more races and win state championships.
This is Justin Banks for you he’s ready to break records his senior year making Tuscarora High School Proud.
I now have here a first year runner trying to get faster for lacrosse and football, but is already making track his new sport just from the first meet at Alvernia College.
Jasiri Belote
This is Belote’s first year in the program and he is liking every moment so far. He was already friends with the team and it is great to have him now. “Everyone is chill and funny and there’s a lot of funny things that go on, on and off the track.”
The biggest goal Belote has for this season is to get under 22 seconds for the 200 meter dash. Belote doesn’t have plans to go to college for track at the moment but he does mention. “If I can, I surely will go for track,” he says.
The biggest, and only out of many-to-come accomplishments he has gotten so far, is his 23 second 200 meter dash. The biggest improvement he has gotten is getting more flexible and a bit faster since the start. The one thing he wants to improve more than his 200 is his 400 meter.
Now I’m gonna talk about someone who isn’t talked about enough as a real underdog in this sport, Eli Johnson. Johnson started running track his freshman year and says that, “Track has been fun from the beginning.”
Johnson is the most selfless person I know. He’s a real team player. Track can be a really individual sport, and people care more about themselves when it comes to their races, but not Johnson. When I asked him what his biggest goal was he didn’t say something about himself he told me, “My biggest goal is to help the team access all the potential we have.”
He really is the biggest team player I have met on this team.
As much as he loves this sport and has fun doing it, he does not plan to run in college. His biggest accomplishment is running a 57 second 400 meter.
He mentions that the team chemistry is good and that everyone holds each other accountable.
He told me that his biggest improvement is: “My discipline and motivation have improved and helped me in every area of my life.”
The track program definitely has a lot of amazing runners but these four are the ones you should really look out for, they’re going to make Tuscarora High School look really good in the track department.
