On Jan. 10, the Phoenix indoor track team hosted their senior night meet at home. They went up against many other schools, including Broad Run, Independence, and Lightridge, and the team’s performance showed that they have been putting in hard work during practices. During the meet, they celebrated and congratulated the seniors for their multitude of achievements during their time on the team, and they wished them luck on their journey to their respective colleges and future life outside of high school.

Senior Emmanuel Bankole has had ups and downs during his time on the track team. However, he’s ready to take the next step into the future while also cherishing his remaining time with the Phoenix. “Senior night was a great time, [the seniors were] looking back at all the years that they have done track,” Bankole said. 

While not graduating yet, Sophomore Khem Temoka also shared the bittersweet feeling that his fellow seniors were feeling. “To Emmanuel, Daniel, and Steven, I’m going to miss them,” Temoka said. “We’ve gotten close, especially in relays, so I’m going to miss them and I hope they do well in college.”

Coach Bradley Burzumato led the team this year and has been seeing students come and go for a while now. “We had over 150 kids [for tryouts],” Burzumato said. “Unfortunately, we’re only able to keep 80 of them which is always difficult; [however], we have a lot of returners this year so we are a much older team.” 

While each athlete has different personal goals, Burzumato hopes that they all can reach a high standard. “As always our goal for athletes is to qualify for championships,” Burzumato said. “We have three levels of championships: the district, the regions, and the states [however we also want athletes to] keep following their passions and enjoy it. High school sports are only available for a limited time so make every chance count.”

Gallery • 6 Photos

Nadia Shirr

Senior Steven Boushra runs far ahead of his opponents in the 4 x 400 relay race.