STANDING TALL: Stuart Country Day School track athletes, from front to back, Priscilla Francois, Juliet McGowen, Lindsay Craig, and Madeleine Michaels, were all smiles as they came together to compete in a relay this spring. Stuart enjoyed a stellar season in 2016, going 9-1 in dual meet competition and standing second at the state Prep B championship meet through eight events before it was called off due to inclement weather. The Tartans set or tied 11 school records this spring and earned medals in their division at the Penn Relays in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.

Although the Stuart Country Day School track team didn’t look dominant in a season-opening win in a quad-meet against George School (Pa.), Solebury School (Pa,) and Pennington School, Len Klepack was very encouraged by what he saw.

“Usually the George School has a good group and we went to the first meet and we saw that we won without really great performances because it was early in the season,” said Stuart head coach Klepack.

“Going against competition early in the season and to do well without really peaking, that gave us a sense of what the season could be.”

The 2016 season turned out to be one of the best in program history as Stuart went 9-1 in regular season meets, won medals in their division at the Penn Relays, and stood second at the state Prep B championship meet through eight events before it was called off due to inclement weather. The Tartans set or tied 11 school records along the way.

In Klepack’s view, the team’s depth made a big difference. “We had a couple of seniors that had good junior years so we felt that they would improve and they had a real good attitude,” said Klepack, noting that the program has a proud tradition with former coach and current Princeton University women’s track assistant Thomas Harrington having led Stuart to four Prep B crowns between 1999-2005.

“We had a couple of new freshmen who had potential and talent; they wanted to learn. There was a balance in every event.”

The squad’s senior contingent was led by the McGowen triplets, Pam, Juliet, and Natalie.

“They are great influences and they lead by example, they are involved in a lot of activities at Stuart and they have learned how to multitask, said Klepack, noting that all three are headed to Princeton University.

“They are capable of being quality athletes in tennis and volleyball but they are quality students also. They are part of the choir that goes all over the east coast and sings in special events, they have been to Carnegie Hall.”

Another senior standout, Kate Walsh, proved to be a good influence on her younger teammates.

“Kate Walsh had a great four years and she has kept the other group together,” said Klepack, whose other seniors included Lindsay Craig and Jen Walsh.

“There are about four or five girls that had potential, someone like Milan Kainer, who scored in the state meet. That had a lot to do with Kate. Other girls, even the freshmen, learned from Kate. That is important.”

Sophomore Michelle Kwafo emerged as an important competitor for the Tartans.

“She is learning how to compete, she has excellent potential; the thing is going to be picking the right event,” said Klepack.

“Right now we think it is the 100 hurdles and she was part of almost every sprint relay record with Natalie (McGowen) and Pam (McGowen).”

Two freshmen, sprinter/hurdler Priscilla Francois and throwing star Bey-Shana Clark, proved to be a big part of things this spring for the Tartans.

“Priscilla had played basketball and field hockey and she had to decide between lacrosse and track,” said Klepack.

“She went with track to see what it would be like and she has a lot of ability and range. She can run anything from the 100 up and we even put her in the 4×800 relay that broke our school record. She has a lot of range and we decided to try her as an intermediate hurdler and she was able to score in that as well. Bey-Shana has a lot of talent, she is a natural. She gets the technique down quickly.”

While it was disappointing for the Tartans to be denied the chance to produce a winning score in the Prep B meet, Klepack believes that experience will help the team going forward.

“Pam (McGowen) had a real good meet, she was second in the long jump and third in the triple jump,” said Klepack, whose team had 60 points with leader Villa Walsh just ahead at 64 when the meet was cancelled.

“Allison Walsh won the high jump and Kate Walsh won the discus. It is a good day when you have two state championships from the same family and the meet is not half way through. We felt confident about the 4×100 and scoring in the 4×400. We would have been right there with that. It was a downer, yes, but it will help motivate us with the young kids.”

In Klepack’s view, a family feeling helped Stuart come together this spring. “I have to give credit to my wife Nancy and Gary Dura, who were our other coaches, and the team pulling together,” said Klepack.

“The girls came to understand that track and field is something that takes work. They understood that you have got to prepare, you just can’t walk out on the track. They were willing to put in the time and I think they were rewarded for it. They were also a team. Even if you weren’t going to score in an event, they were there to support each other. They motivated each other and that is what you try to get from track and field. Every coach will tell you that you motivate them because it is a lifetime sport and there are life lessons.”

Applying those lessons should help the Tartans going forward. “That sprint group that is coming back with Michelle, Priscilla, and Akilah Johnson; there is a good nucleus,” said Klepack, who also returns juniors Casey Nelson, Ally McGowen, Claudary Jones, Jada Postadan, and Kainer along with sophomores Alison Walsh, Madeleine Michaels, Sonia Mohandas, Allie Burgess Kendra Brenya, Brittney Jones, and Liz Mele and freshmen Allie Rounds and Clark.

“I think that combination of balance helped motivate the youngsters and then next year, that group will motivate other people. You just have to get the people out. We are a small school and when you could get one third of your upper school to participate in a sport, it became a lot of fun. You could see them achieve at the end.”