As the 2025 Convent and Stuart Hall track and field season burns on, an exciting story is unfolding. At the time of writing, three of our freshmen, Elias Torres, JJ Garg, and Edward Fontaine hold 1600 meter times of 4:59.84, 4:59.48, and 4:59.39, respectively. Each of the trios is only 3 seconds behind the standing freshman record of 4 minutes 57 seconds, set by current Junior Julian Anderson in 2023. Currently, they stand 4th, 5th, and 6th in the history of fastest 9th grade 1600 runners in Stuart Hall history, and as we approach the end of the season, time is running out to break this time barrier, and the pressure is mounting.
This season, JJ, Elias, and Edward have benefited from each having close competition. Not only do they have good outside competitors, but also between the three of them, allowing them to push each other towards better times. Distance coach Nicholas Torres has witnessed young talent come in and out of the distance track program multiple times. When asked about his thoughts on the effect of a competitive environment between teammates, Torres said, “I think [competition between teammates] plays a big role, because they each have peers in the same grade and same age. It sets up an even, competitive playing field for them to push each other to not back off in their efforts.” Because of this, Coach Torres and other team members believe that this young group of runners have a real shot at taking the title. Something that makes this story so interesting is that despite their very similar times, they each hold their strengths. When considering the unique strengths of this freshman trio, Coach Torres said, “JJ probably has the best finishing kick at the end of races, Edward knows best how to hang on and push no matter how fast his competition is, and t has the most guts to just go for it and push the pace.”
In an interview with Elias, JJ, and Edward, they each expressed lots of confidence in themselves, and each other in their ability to perform as the team approaches the climax of their season. They also mentioned the importance of potentially holding that record and what it means to them. Edward, who had some experience running cross country in middle school says, “[The record] has become an importance to me since I broke 5 minutes at Dublin a few weeks ago. After my race, I realized how close I was to breaking the record…Before I just focused on breaking my previous pr, but now, I have a more meaningful goal to aim for.” Similarly, JJ, a first-year runner, says, “The record means a lot to me. Being in the record books is impressive and proves to myself I can hang with the other guys. Having two teammates fighting for it as well is cool, and gives me motivation to try and go for it and see if all three of us can break the goal by the end of the season.” Elias, who ran track in middle school, and also had some exposure practicing with Stuart Hall during then, comments, “[The record] means a lot because I’ve been training with the team since before I was a freshman. When I race, it’s definitely on my mind as a goal I am trying to achieve.”
As the season wraps up, this group of young talent is fully expected to be able make big leaps in time as the season comes to a close. As the high-stakes championship meets put more pressure on our athletes, it is not uncommon for large gains in time and personal records to be set. Especially with the confidence displayed by this group of runners, it is clear that the record is going to be broken. It would seem not to be a race to who can break the record first, but rather, who will hold it as the season comes to an end.