Newfield indoor track & field enjoys impressive season

As indoor track and field teams from around the section prepare for the postseason, Tompkins County has had plenty to celebrate so far this year. The likes of Groton and Ithaca are putting together record-breaking campaigns, and it’s much the same over in Newfield.

The Trojans also have a couple of new school marks under their belt, and they’ve occurred under a new head coach with Sarah White taking charge. While getting to coach her daughter Madigan was the biggest factor in leading the program, she was also ecstatic to work with so many student-athletes that she was already familiar with.

“I also have worked in the school district for many years,” White said. “I know a lot of the kids. I know their parents, and I’m like, ‘I just really want to make sure we have a team, we keep it together, we do the best we can this season and see what happens.’ So it was her, but it’s also the other kids too. They’re all my kids.”

Madigan has been the standout athlete on the Trojans in an event that’s relatively niche. The sophomore excels in the 1,500-meter racewalk, an event which she has won at multiple meets this year and holds the school record in with a time of seven minutes and 15.39 seconds. In fact, she’s one of the top racewalkers in the state and already has the time to qualify for the New Balance Nationals Indoor, which will take place in Boston from March 13-16.

 Believe it or not, Madigan originally tried out the event in eighth grade as a joke. But she instantly fell in love with the event and certainly knows what it takes to be an elite racewalker, especially from the mental aspect.

“You won’t always be at your best,” Madigan said. “I’ve had days where I’m sick and I’m still trying to put in the work, but then I’m upset with how I didn’t get the time I wanted, even though I knew I was sick and I couldn’t participate at my best. But knowing that you can put your best [forward] and you tried your best, and having those people there to support you really helps.”

Madigan also knows the importance of the more technical aspects of racewalking, much like any other track and field event.

“I think my form has improved the most,” Madigan said. “My coach has really been there to help both of them and they improved my form, my strides and my arms, because racewalking is really technical, and you have to perfect the form.”

The other athlete who’s written himself into the school record books is Noah Steinorth. The sophomore holds the Trojans’ fastest time in the 1,000-meter run with a time of two minutes and 57.66 seconds. Steinorth lives close to the White family, so Sarah has seen firsthand how much work he puts in even outside of practice.

“Noah has this mentality,” White said. “He knows what time he wants to get and he knows how to get to it. Now he’s just pressing and following through on his training protocol… After school practice, Maddie and Noah go to more indoor track practice, and Noah’s there listening, learning. He’s researching things. It’s not all just going out and doing physical stuff. You also have to read and watch and listen to other people, and he’s taken it all in. He has this goal in his mind, and he’s trying to get it. He knows what athletes to pair up with that are kind of close to his time.”

Like White and Steinorth, there are plenty of other athletes who are aiming to get to state qualifiers later this month. Ben Little is looking to make the cut in the 55-meter dash, as is Michael Cahill in the triple jump.

Even outside of the state qualifier hopefuls, it’s been a resoundingly successful season as a whole. Of the 27 athletes on the roster, over half of them have broken personal records. White admired how everybody has striven to improve each and every day.

“These kids understand that drive,” White said. “It’s not necessarily about who you are racing against. It’s kind of like you’re racing against yourself. You’re pushing yourself, right. That’s kind of my goal, but also their goal is, ‘How can I do this better?’ They’re always pushing. You can always get better.”

The winter season is always the longest season during the school year, and White is proud of how the Trojans have uplifted each other as they dash into the home stretch.

“You see the teams all kind of blend together from other schools where they’re all out there supporting each other, because they know how hard it is to get out there almost every day and put forth your best effort in this cold New York season,” White said. “I’m really impressed with how everything’s been going and how it’s turning out, but it definitely takes a village.”