On Feb. 3, 2024, at “The Bubble” in Toms River, NJ, Becton’s Boys’ Winter Track & Field Team won the North 2 Group 1 State Sectionals with a total of 76 points. There were outstanding performances from all participating members: Gustavo Costa, Yannick Fall, Nathan Bello, Steven Longo, Jakub Slezak, Jayiem Gilkes, Brandon Osorio, Matthew Forbes, Christopher Zawadzki, Max Thorn, and Jaydon Gilkes.
There are three competitions in the State Sectionals. Out of those three, a single state champion is chosen. Mr. Quinn Geraghty, Head Coach of the Boys’ Track & Field Team, expressed that he “knew that heading into this indoor season specifically, we would have a chance at winning the North 2 Group 1 state sectional.”
This win is especially important because no Becton track team has ever won a state sectional title before. Members of the Boys’ Track Team share their excitement, “I can compare winning to celebrating the New Year,” Fall explained assuredly. “I was so proud of all of us as a team and I knew we could do it and we did,” Gilkes stated. “Everything that happened leading up to that moment of holding the trophy in the air was all worth it,” Longo attested. All members feel proud that their hard work and dedication was recognized.
The practices for Winter Track are every day of the week except for Sundays. Their schedule is as follows: On Monday through Friday, they practice after school from 2:50-5:00 PM. On Saturdays, they practice from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM. “We’ve been practicing everyday since December, and we’ve improved a lot,” Costa says, “Everyday is different!”
Preparation for the season takes discipline and staying on track, as many members attest. Longo states, “I push through my workouts and races no matter how tiring or strenuous it gets.” Similar to others, Gilkes makes sure he keeps a healthy diet. Finally, Costa puts it into perspective: “When you have teammates and coaches that support you and do the same things with you, staying on track becomes normal. To us, it’s just another day.”
Besides training, a big part of the motivation comes from a great coach. “Whenever I’m running, I hear Coach Geraghty saying ‘You gotta go!’ and that gives me a push to run faster,” Costa expresses fondly. “Coach Geraghty will always have an impact on me that extends beyond the field,” Gilkes similarly states. “I just want to thank my coach for the time and effort he puts in to make sure we become the best track athletes we can be. His hard work and dedication towards making our program one of the best out there will never be forgotten,” Longo praises.
Part of the thrill for the track members was knowing that they had a chance at winning, but not exactly knowing if they would. “From the first day of spring track 2022 all the way through our sectional win on Saturday Feb. 3, we constantly pushed the message that this team will compete for titles. We of course needed time to find our footing as a team, but the athletes never lost the mindset that we were headed towards being a championship team,” reflects Coach Geraghty.
Their hopes were very high, even for Yannick Fall who is a sophomore competing alongside his upperclassmen peers. “It feels great to be a sophomore in the 4 by 4,” Fall starts, “I originally didn’t want to do the 4 by 4, but Coach Geraghty put me in there. I thought I was better at the 200, but I was good at the 400 too!” It goes to show that nobody ever knows what they will accomplish unless they try. Fall expresses that he is grateful to Coach Geraghty for placing him in the 4 by 4, ultimately leading to Becton’s win.
Coach Geraghty explains that his love and passion for track started when he was a freshman in high school himself, and continued, “I knew after my first race I was going to compete and coach in this sport for a long time.” He also credits Coach Dorsey, Coach Babbini and Coach Woyce, “I of course am the boys coach, but none of this would be possible without our stellar coaching staff. Coach Dorsey and I were longtime friends before Becton, so working collaboratively with him and our awesome assistant coaches, Coach Babbini and Coach Woyce, is a luxury for both myself and our athletes.”
He also informs that the athletes of this track season are “a special group to say the least. The group is mixed with excellent leadership, fun personalities and talented athletes. Junior Steven Longo is one of the area’s best mid distance runners, Junior Gustavo Costa is a versatile sprinter from the 55 meter dash all the way up to the 400, Senior Jaydon Gilkes spent all summer working on his high jumping skills and the work has paid off and his younger brother Jayiem has taken a huge step as our top shot putter this season.”
The track season will conclude with the State Group qualifiers competing at the state group championship on Feb. 17, 2024, at “The Bubble” in Toms River, NJ. They also recently had a race on Feb. 14, 2024 at The Armory in NY, competing alongside the Girls’ Track Team.
Congratulations to the Boys’ Track & Field Team for making history!
Check out the NJSIAA Sectional Championships – North 2 Group 1&4 2024 results HERE!
