1999-2000 Boys and Girls Outdoor Track and Field Teams

The 1999-2000 boys and girls outdoor track teams were special, both winning the MAPL Championship. The girls team won the Prep State Championship in 2000 (as they had done in 1999 as well).

And the success kept on coming. The Falcons broke seven school records on the girls side and three on the boys side that season.

Additionally, the boys were 4×400 Prep Penn Relays champions (Russell Gagnon ’00, Tom Conner ’00, Derek Tong ’01 and Chris Nixon ’00). The feat hasn’t been done again since.

Former Head Coach Mark Gartner remembers the group gelling really well. Sometimes, teams can be made of three or four standouts that carry the rest.

“We had contributions up and down the roster, sometimes from the most unexpected sources,” he said. “Somebody goes out who is throwing 70 feet in the discus and then goes out and throws 95 feet and it happens to be at the states or MAPLs, which was a nice surprise. That’s what I remember most about the group – the camaraderie and support they had for each other.”

Jillian Carpenter ’01 remembers Gartner’s and assistant coach Tim Brennan’s positive mindset, which translated well into life. She learned ways to view a not-so-great event or situation positively.

“It motivated you and made you want to work harder,” she said.

Being well-rounded was important, and the team was doing visualization during practice by the spring of 2000, Amber Forrester ’00 said.

“It’s maybe not as exciting as the actual running, jumping or throwing, but all of it goes into creating an athlete at that age that also has the ability to continue on and isn’t going to be taxed out at a young age or hurt themselves in a way that’s irreparable,” Forrester said.

Several student-athletes from this special season went on to compete in college.

“By the time I got to college, it wasn’t difficult,” Nixon said on transition to college track. “I was also able to balance the work and track practice. Going to college almost seemed easy because I already had the routine down, while I think a lot of my teammates struggled with the balance.”

Kim Thompson ’00, who was injured during her spring senior season, volunteered to be the team’s manager. While several other sports could have taken people’s attention away from track, there was a lot of good energy gravitating toward the team. For Thompson, it felt like the season was a culminating event of everyone’s growth.

“It did feel very much like a magical time,” she said. “I remember that spring being a specific period when it was really fun to watch the track team. The energy was really high around campus in general. Usually, that’s not true for full track teams. That’s true for track stars.”