The Godwin Eagles hosted a track meet against several schools including Deep Run, Freeman, Hermitage, J.R. Tucker, John Marshall, Maggie Walker, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson on April 2.

The Eagles’ boys team finished in second place overall. “It was a strong start to our season,” said head coach Jon Lauder.

Although the Eagles finished second in team scoring, there were many notable individual performances in the meet.

Junior Aaron D’Amato won both the shot put and the discus throw. Junior Duncan Goodrich won the 800 meter and the high jump.

The boys 4×4 relay team also won. The boys 4×4 relay team consisted of sophomore Claude Queen, junior Duncan Goodrich, senior Julius Mills, and junior Ryan Niblock.

“We put in a lot of hard work during practice, and when we do our best at meets it makes all the practice worth it,” said Queen.

Many runners and jumpers also improved on their best times and jumps. Sophomore Stephen Tivenan finished with a personal best in the mile run. Also, sophomore Carter Ward took second place in the high jump and recorded his personal best. Sophomore Liam McAllister also ran his personal best in the 400 meter.

“I knew I was jumping against strong competitors in the district,” said Ward. “I think that after some hard work our team can have a successful season.”

The boys team recorded a strong start on the season, but the coaches cited a few areas in which the team needs to improve. “We need to improve in our short distance races and our long distance events,” said Lauder.

The girls’ team also had some success in their first meet of the season, with Senior Bria Anderson winning won the long jump and the 100 meter. Senior Katherine Benfer also won the 800 meter race.

“Our first meet was a great success as many of the girls had fantastic races and have improved tremendously from the start of the season,” said Benfer.

Senior Marin Bader won the 3200 meters and junior Sarah Goodrich won the 1600 meter.

Many runners on the team set personal records and gained experience in their first meet of the season.

“We have a very well-rounded team this year,” said head coach Sherry Hannay. “We need to improve in all areas to be successful.”