The Eagles Track and Field team has six seniors this year: Trenton Mitchell, Miller Chantharasy, Norí Carreon Saenz, Arris Harris, Adrian Sabeh and Avery White. Each senior has worked incredibly hard during their time on the team, while also balancing others sports and extracurriculars. Before the season ends, The Nest wanted to sit down and talk with our beloved seniors. Read about them here, and make sure to come out to their last home meet on April 30th to see them in action!
Trenton Mitchell just began to run track this year while also playing baseball. He was encouraged by his football coach, Coach Finley, to join the team. So far he’s competed in some sprinting events. “My first track meet was funny. It was long and cold, you kind of just have to wait for your events. But you can make it fun with your friends around,” Mitchell said. Mitchell’s favorite memory so far this season was when his teammate, Jack O’Brien (11), ran to Schnucks. He will miss the meets, hanging out with his teammates and friends, and seeing everybody working hard in their events. Mitchell leaves behind this advice: “Always try your best.”
Miller Chantharasy has been running track and field his entire high school career. Having done long-distance running from a young age due to his mother’s encouragement, Chantharasy has always loved to run, which has helped him in the many sports he plays. This year alone, in addition to Track and Field, he has participated in cross country, soccer, wrestling and tennis. Chantharasy most commonly participates in the 200 and 400 meter events, with his record for the 200 being 25.20 seconds. Chantharasy lightheartedly recalls his favorite memory: “There was this one time in the middle of racing, it started thundering, and so I stopped, but no one else did. So I got last place.” As Chantharasy prepares to take his first steps into a new chapter, he’ll miss the bus rides that felt like a safe space to him. He leaves the team with this advice: “Keep practicing. You got it as long as you work hard.”
Norí Carreon Saenz only began track and field this year, initially joining just for the senior banner. Originally, she thought there would be no way that she’d enjoy the sport, but she’s discovered a love for it as the season has continued. “My favorite memory was at this one meet they had Chick-fil-A at the concession stand,” recalls Carreon Saenz with a laugh. “I was with Denise helping her warm up, and she disappeared, and I had her spikes. My first thought was to check the concession stand to see if she got food without me, and they had a sign that said they had Chick-fil-A!” Carreon Saenz will miss her teammates dearly, leaving them with this advice: “Trust your coach, really trust your coach, because he sees things from a different perspective than your tired self.”
Arris Harris has run track since his freshman year, mostly as a way to become faster and stay in shape for football. Harris runs the 100 and 200 meter races, with his record for the 100 being 11.53 seconds and for the 200 being 24.10. During a football game during the fall of his junior year, Harris broke his ankle, which mostly took him out of track last season, but he has worked hard to make it back to the sport this “It made me a stronger athlete,” he said in regards to the rehab process of his ankle. “It took time and patience, for sure,” said Harris. “When I was down, I could have been training for track or any other sport but during the season, I’ve been working hard to get faster and better at my events.” Harris’s favorite memories are the ones he’s made on the rowdy but fun bus rides to the meets. He wants his teammates and new track runners to know: “Keep doing it. You’re going to get better at it.”
Adrian Sabeh started track and field in his freshman year of high school. Initially, Sabeh joined the team to be faster for football, but he soon discovered his talent for throwing. Sabeh’s record for discus is 41 meters and 10 meters for shot-put. Unfortunately, Sabeh suffered a separated shoulder from wrestling in his sophomore year and was out for half of the track season. Then, during his junior year, Sabeh underwent back surgery and could not compete in any sports for more than a year as he recovered. “While I was injured, I kind of made more of a transition,” commented Sabeh. “I was a really big athlete before my injury, but after having back surgery, I had to find new passions like self-development. I think that helped me become a better athlete just because of learning the principles of success. That transferred into the season with me training so hard and becoming the number one seated thrower in the state.” Sabeh will miss being around his teammates and having their support, but he leaves them with the advice: “Put in the work in the off-season, and it’ll pay off.”
Avery White has been doing track since her freshman year. She began her journey with track and field to condition herself for swim but developed a passion for the sport. White also is heavily involved with Brentwood’s theatre department, so this season she has been balancing track with the spring musical Frozen, where she plays the part of Sven the reindeer. In track, White participates in distance events like the one-mile and two-mile, with her record for the two-mile being 15 minutes. White’s goal is to bring her time down to 14 minutes by the end of the season. “I’m better with longer distances. They’re better for me because you can run at a slower pace, and you have to think more about pacing rather than having a bunch of energy at once for an event,” White commented. What White will miss the most as she begins her next step in life is cheering on her teammates during the events. As for advice, White leaves her fellow teammates with: “Do cooldowns so you don’t get injured. They’re important!”
Although they will be missed, we wish them luck in their journey going forward. The next home track meet, which is Senior Night, is on April 30th!
