Indoor Track Teams Off to Strong Start

The Panthers smashed six school records en route to an inspiring performance at the Ivy League Prep Schools Meet #1.

“The big performances at last Wednesday's meet felt like a validation of months of hard work for our athletes,” coach Ian Mook said. “We had a big group of athletes who trained hard all fall, and for many, over the summer as well. While this meet was technically in the second week of the season, it didn't feel like the beginning of our season. The results we saw demonstrate their consistent hard work over the past few months. Hard work beats talent every time in track and field — and we are blessed with athletes who possess both.”

For the boys, Nicholas Moutsatsos ’25 headlined the record-setting day with a first-place time of 35.54 seconds in the 300 meters. 

Moutsatsos hopes to improve on his blazing time at a future meet, as The Armory did not permit athletes to wear their usual running spikes due to the early season nature of the event. 

“Aside from that, this race went very well for me,” Moutsatsos said. “My mindset going into it was to just see what I am capable of doing at this point in the season. My goal was to run right around 35.5, so I was content with how I performed. This gives me a lot of confidence going into future 300m races, as I know I can run much faster with more training and spikes.”

Henry Frasca ’27 set a school record in the 1,000 meters, placing second with a time of 2:40.71. Jose Meister ’26 rounded out the string of impressive efforts with a school-record time of 10:38.75 in the 3,200 meters, which was good for sixth place.  

“A lot of the team was training in the fall during cross-country, so we had a lot of time to prepare for the winter season,” Moutsatsos said. “Most of us had already improved significantly from last year before the season even started.”

On the girls' side, Scout Fishkind ’26 broke her own school record in the 3,000 meters, finishing sixth with a time of 11:26.16. Sarah Christie ’25 smashed a pair of school records in the triple jump (fourth place, 30-05.75) and the long jump (fifth place 13-08.50). The 1,600 sprint relay team — consisting of Christie, Danse Mobray ’26, Ana Alexander ’26 and Anna Shub ’25 — capped it off with a school-record time of 5:07.08. 

It was an especially memorable performance for Fishkind, who returned from injury to compete at The Armory for the first time since freshman year.

“Going into the race, I kept reminding myself of all the training and hard work that has been put in and how this first meet is only a jumping-off point for the rest of the season,” Fishkind said. “Not to mention, coach Mook calling out my splits each lap was super helpful — and the loud cheering of the team, which truly did make me run faster!”

The team's camaraderie was apparent throughout the entire meet, which stretched from morning to night. 

“Out of all the teams, you could hear Masters cheering the loudest,” Fishkind said. “The constant encouragement and spirit each team member brought was a huge contribution to our overall success!”

Masters will look to keep progressing in its next meet — Ivy League Prep Schools Meet #2 — back at The Armory on December 18. 

With a deep, talented and selfless core of athletes, it figures to be another day to remember for the Panthers. 

“We have such a strong group of intrinsically motivated athletes who have helped build the culture and momentum necessary to bring new athletes into the fold,” Mook said. “Our leaders have made it easy for new students to see what it takes to be successful in the sport.”