On May 7 at the North Coast Conference Championships at Padua Franciscan High School, the NDCL Lions Boys Track Team demonstrated the importance of teamwork in winning three conference relay titles (4x100m, 4x400m, 4x200m).
“Together Everyone Achieves More.”
This phrase produces the acronym “Team.”
In track and field working together as a team is critical to success in the relays.
On May 7 at the North Coast Conference Championships at Padua Franciscan High School, the NDCL Lions Boys Track Team demonstrated the importance of teamwork in winning three conference relay titles (4x100m, 4x400m, 4x200m).
In analyzing the Lions’ relay success, the phrase, “The sum of the parts is greater than the whole” seems particularly relevant.
Lions Head Coach Ralph White, a former NCAA Division I Coach who also coached United States Olympians, explained that sometimes the relay team with the fastest individual four times doesn’t always win the event.
Teams with slower individual times can win relays with better technique and team chemistry.
In particular, an important technical element that Coach White emphasizes with his team is the importance of exchanging the baton effectively. Thus, one of the things that the Lions do every day at practice is work on handoffs.
When the Lions practice handoffs, they focus on the incoming runner making sure that they get the baton in the hands of the outgoing runner.
“We work on that a lot,” Coach White said.
To master the exchange of the baton, Coach White said that he has a great group of assistant coaches who help teach this important skill.
In addition to working on coaching the technical aspects necessary for successful relays, Coach White highlighted the importance of building team chemistry in order to achieve optimal performance.
“The past four years, (building team chemistry) is one of the things we have always done,” said Coach White. “It’s a culture, it’s a culture thing. We work on that, we preach it and our kids are very receptive.”
White continued: “Many times at least three out of four run their personal best, because they are running for their teammates. Sometimes when you run for your teammates you run a little harder than you do just for yourself.”
Utilizing sound technique and strong team chemistry, the Lions Boys 4x100m relay team (Tyler Cudo, Brandon DiPasquale, Casey McInnerney, Ryan Thomas) ran 45.02 to edge CVCA by .34 seconds and win the conference title.
Afterwards, McInnerney said that the 4x100m relay team persevered as they were not feeling optimally heading into the relay.
“We didn’t have the best circumstances today,” said McInnerney. “We weren’t feeling the best, but we all came out and did what we needed to do, and we all rose to the occasion, and just did our best.”
Added senior Ryan Thomas, “It took a lot of improvising to get to where we are. But, this is what we are taught, we step up in big moments, and we always get the job done.”
After winning the 4x100m relay, the 4x800m relay and finishing as runners up in the 4x200m relay, the Lions finished the conference championships by winning the 4x400m relay (Rob Bonchak, Brennen Burke, Sean Butler, Daniel Noronha).
Coach White said that the mile relay is an event that the Lions Boys Track and Field team takes a lot of pride in.
“It’s the last event of the day, that’s the one people seem to remember,” Coach White said. “If you do well in that, people feel good. So we put a lot of emphasis on that last event of the day.”
Coach White said that since their state championship runner, Rob Bonchak, was just returning to the lineup, they did not have him run all out. However, the rest of the 4x400m team rallied.
Indeed, both Sean Butler and Brennen Burke both obtained personal bests for their 400m relay split times.
Also performing exceptionally well in individual events for the Lions at the conference championships was freshman Owen Thomas and senior Brennen Burke.
Thomas won the conference title in the 3200m.
“I just came from a meet on Saturday where I ran a 9:44, so I was just trying to win the meet, and luckily I did,” Thomas said. “It’s really big for me (to win the conference title). It’s my first win of the year too, and I didn’t win conference in cross (country), so I had to get it back here.”
Also, Burke set two school records for the Lions including the 100m (11.13) and 200m (22.45).
Overall, Coach White was happy with how the Lions performed at the North Coast Conference Championships.
“We were quite pleased,” said Coach White. “We had 3 school records and 26 pr’s (personal records), so a pretty good day.”
