On April 30, the Girl’s Track and field team celebrated an unforgettable night for the nine seniors, and the team enjoyed a delicious cookout after the meet against Bay. Before the meet began, the 2025 seniors were called up one at a time and announced while their parents accompanied them. Each senior girl shook hands with the coaches and lined up on the field. The rest of the track team was in the stands, joined in applause for their teammates, and congratulated each senior girl on their accomplishments over the years they were in track.
During the track meet, the seniors participated in their favorite events from over the years, and senior-only relays occurred, creating a fun, well-deserved meet for these special seniors. The team hosts a cookout, a tradition they do each year, and numerous parents come out to help make this cookout a success. Underclassmen decorate the outdoor locker room for this big night every year and pitch in money to provide gifts for the seniors. This year, juniors Lydia Koons and Sophia Eccher were in charge of accomplishing these tasks and did a wonderful job. This night was full of bittersweet moments and memories as each senior girl on the track team was celebrated for all their hard work over the years.
Each group of senior girls is always special to the coaches because of the time spent together during practices, other sports, or leadership meetings. For some coaches, like Adam Swiat, it’s extra special because he has been with this group since the beginning, especially with the distance senior girls whom he coached in cross country as well.
“This is my fourth year coaching at Lakewood with this group, but I’ve been with them since their freshman year, so it’s a little bit more special,” Swiat said. “A lot of them have been captains for a while, and we’re going to miss them next year.”
These nine seniors have shown their true dedication to this sport, which can be physically and mentally challenging. Many of these seniors have dealt with numerous injuries, but what makes these girls so unique is that these injuries didn’t stand in the way of their success. These seniors truly understand the meaning of getting back up with the help of the coaches and becoming stronger than ever.
“I think just about every one of the seniors we have on this team in the four years they’ve been here have gone through some sort of adversity, whether it’s an injury and not finishing a meet at the higher levels like districts or regional state conference where they wanted to finish,” Swiat said. “They’ve all come back, succeeded, and picked themselves back up.”
All the coaches on the Girl’s Track and Field Team and the rest of the crew wish these seniors the best in the next chapter of their lives. The season isn’t over yet, and the rest of the practices spent with these remarkable athletes will be cherished every second.
“I thank them for the honor of being their coach,” Swiat said. “Over the last four years, I’ve grown as much as they’ve grown. Hopefully, they’ve learned as much from me as I have from them, and I look forward to the successes they’re going to have in life outside of high school or track.”
The seniors will be dearly missed by the underclassmen because these girls have looked up to these seniors for multiple years and practices just won’t be the same without them.
“I’m going to miss our long runs together,” Koons said. “I got the opportunity to learn so much from them, as a student, a learner, a leader and I’m going to miss having that guidance.”
Although the seniors will be moving on to bigger and better things, the lessons and guidance learned will never be forgotten. These seniors have set an example for their younger teammates and what it means to be an athlete.
“I think I’ve learned a lot of things from them, like how to push through barriers, mental blocks, and that hard work will take you far,’’ Koons said.
This night celebrates the seniors and dedicates the time spent training to be the best they can be. It marks a special moment in their lives and won’t be forgotten.
“I’ve run track all four years, and it’s special getting to celebrate with my fellow seniors, reflect on the past four years and everything I’ve got to do in this program,” senior Shannon Katzenberger said.
Not only did the track make these seniors stronger, but each senior learned something new from being part of the program and will carry these lessons into the next phase of their lives.
“I think [track] helped me to develop a community, a mindset, learning to rely on others, cheer and be there for other people,” Katzenberger said. “Track has taught me the value of hard work and how hard work truly will give you success.”
These seniors have gone through multiple ups and downs. Whether injuries or an off-day, these girls kept a positive mindset to return stronger than ever and set a message for the underclassmen.
“Honestly, don’t take everything so seriously,” Katzenberger said. “You should strive to do your best, but if you have an off day, it’s okay, you will be okay, just do your best and have fun with it.”
