The Blue Demons track and field team recently finished its last race of the season on a high note. At the Georgia Tech Invitational, runners crossed the finish line marking the end of a nine-month season.

“Definitely this year, as a whole, we were competitive all across the board, and the men and women’s team stepped up and pushed as competitors,” said head coach Dave Dopek. “The men’s indoor 4x400m was even able to take down a decade-old record.”

The men’s 4x400m placed third while the women’s 4x100m placed seventh. Junior Chris Miedema set a personal career record, with a time of 1:50.49 in the 800-meter race. Career bests were set in the 200-meter with freshman Tayler Whittler running a 24.27 and freshman Brandon Threats posting a 21.70 in the 400-meters. Sophomore Loreal Curtis ran a 55.90 while Lindsey Holden ran a 55.80, both coming in the 400-meters.

Senior Lindsey Holden crossed her final finish line at Georgia Tech, officially ending her career with some major accomplishments. “One of my best races was in the Big East Conference and our 4x400m team broke our school record by a lot,” said Holden. “We ran 3:42, which was great. I was really happy.”

Holden is the only member of the women’s squad departing at the end of this season and she’s thankful for the last four years she had with the track team.

“I think I’m definitely going to miss the team and the team atmosphere,” said Holden. “You know, it’s special. It’s like a family. I think that’s unique to athletics. At least that’s my experience. You get close to people and I’m going to miss that a lot.”

While Holden’s career is coming to a close, freshman Mac Melto’s career is just beginning on the men’s team. Aided by the high energy of the crowd, Melto broke a personal best time of 47.82 in the 400-meter dash at the Big East Championship at Rutgers on May 5.

“At the indoor Big East Championship, it was a great meet for me just because I think I run well under pressure,” said Melto.

But as the season went on the demands of the sport took a toll on Melto mentally and physically. “There were a lot of mixed feelings near the end of the season. I started to fatigue a little so my last few races weren’t as fast as I wanted them to be. I was a bit bummed,” said Melto.

As the spring quarter ends, preparation for the next season is already underway. Dopek, along his coaching staff, will look back on the ups and downs of the season to improve for the coming year.

“Really, as we move forward, we will go over video of what the athletes have done,” said Dopek. “We will look at performances of what weekends they were riding momentum, as well as phases of training to modify, or strategies to get a leg up.”

In the meantime, returning athletes like Melto will continue running and working out to get stronger for the coming season.

“I want next year to be a good breakout season for me. I’m really hoping to lift a lot over the summer and gain anywhere from five to ten pounds of muscle,” said Melto.

If Melto continues to develop, the Blue Demons could take the next step as a contender in the Big East.