For most HSMSE Indoor Track Flying Dragons, the season has come to an end. Yet, there is an exception: Six athletes went all the way to the Nike Indoor Nationals!
For those of you not a part of the track team, here’s a quick breakdown of their season. In November, nearly 90 athletes began their training. They competed to break personal and school records and reach borough and city qualifying times in various events, such as high jump, triple jump, 55-meter dash, and the 600-meter run. In the 2024–2025 season, the boys’ team came in first and the girls’ team came in third across Manhattan. This ranking was based on the points scored for each individual athlete across all events. 26 incredible athletes, some of whom scored points at boroughs, also secured a spot in the PSAL NYC championship meet.
The New York City Championship is typically the end of the line for indoor athletes, and they look towards breaking more records in their spring season. However, six of HSMSE’s athletes still had one more meet to go: the Nike Indoor Nationals at The Armory. The Flying Dragons who were competing at this incredible meet were Brendan Hofmamn (‘’25), Henry Dahl (‘’25), Beckett Jones (‘’25), Bruno Wallace (‘25), Andreas Tsatsas (‘26) and Oren Vecerka (‘28). Beckett Jones, an committed athlete committed to Washington University at St. Louis, competed in the 60-meter hurdles where he advanced to semis after running 8.6 seconds in prelims. Oren Vecekra, the youngest athlete to represent the Flying Dragons, competed in the mile run and ran 4:56.18. The other four athletes are a part of a 4×800 relay team led by senior Henry Dahl.
The dream to compete at nationals started for Henry Dahl at the end of his cross-country season. Throughout the indoor season, Henry competed in the 4×800 relay at every chance he got. He noted that this was the “strongest middle distance team the Flying Dragons have ever had, so [he] wanted to capitalize on it before many of [them] graduated.” With every meet they improved, but they still needed to be six seconds faster to make the national qualifying time. With two months to go till the meet and the regular season coming to an end, the boys needed to find
a way to cut those seconds off. With hard work, hours of practice, and incredible dedication, the boys reached their goal on February 1st when they ran 8:13 at the Ocean Breeze Invitational. Not only did they meet the national qualifying time, but they also set an incredible school record. The relief was tremendous for these Flying Dragons, but the work wasn’t over. They competed in Nationals and ran 8:18.22.
A huge congratulations goes to these incredibly talented athletes. Thank you to Coach Henning, who cheered them on along the way and provided them with an opportunity no one else could.