VIDEO: Marblehead Girls' Track Team Itching to Get 2011 Season Underway

girls’ track team is ready to repeat last year’s success, with only a loss to Danvers keeping them from an undefeated season in 2010.

The Header girls finished 6-1 last season, and although they have a lot of new girls on the team, co-captain Gretchen Powe, who runs the relays and the 800 meters, is confident this year’s team will be just fine.

“We need to keep training hard, stay really focused in practice and believe that we can win, and we’ll do well,” Powe said. In addition to captaining the spring track squad, Powe captained the field hockey team and the indoor track team.

Joining Powe will be co-captain Courtney Maher, a senior, who does the 800 meters, the relays and also throws the javelin. Maher was also a member of Marblehead’s field hockey and indoor track teams.

Senior co-captain Olivia Pennock runs track, track and more track, and her best race is the 55 meters.

Seniors Emma McGuirk and Julia Kinglsey are the other two leaders for coach Michael Toomey’s team. Kingsley is battling back from a torn ACL, and will be lending her support to her teammates as the season unfolds.

“It’s tough, watching,” Kingsley said before practice Friday afternoon. “It’s very disappointing for me, I tore my ACL in November, I missed my senior season of winter track, I’m just trying to be there as much as I can for the team, supporting them as much as I can.”

The girls will have their shot at the Falcons on May 9, and finish up the regular season against the Big Blue on May 19, right before the NEC meets in Lynn. Another huge test for the girls, like the boys, will be a meet against Peabody on April 12. The Tanners have been a track power since they joined the NEC five seasons ago.

“Definitely the big meets for us this season are Swampscott, Danvers and Peabody,” Courtney Maher said. “The girls have been training really hard for this season, I think we’re really ready for the spring.”

“The team looks good, really good, we have 82 girls out for the team this spring, which is double the number we had last year,” coach Toomey said. “It’s very good numbers wise, and we should be a very well rounded team this season.”

“We were very strong last season, and I think we’ll be very strong this season,” co-captain Olivia Pennock said.

“We’ve got 45-50 freshman and sophomores that came out for the team this spring, Emma McGuirk set five school records last year, and we’re very strong in our sprints and jumps this spring,” Toomey said.

“I know the girls are looking forward to meets against Swampscott and Danvers, and we’re really going to be tested against Peabody and Beverly as well,” Toomey said.

2011 Schedule: 

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