The gun goes off, your heart is pounding, and your adrenaline is rushing as you round that final curve with the finish line in sight. For athletes involved in the track program, this is a familiar experience each time they step onto the track.

About 150 student athletes participate in track and field under the guidance of coaches like Chris Biggs and Matthew Rice. Both coaches expect their athletes to work hard and perfect the skills needed for their events.

“We work out for about an hour, but it can be very different workouts depending on the events a student participates in,” Rice said.

Junior Khadijah Brisby has enjoyed a lot of success on the track. She has been running since she was ten and competes in both the 4×2 and the 4×4.

“[My most memorable track experience came] when I was 12 and had the opportunity to go to Tennessee and run in the junior Olympics,” Brisby said.

Other athletes like junior Tim Hines, who has been involved in track since his sophomore year and competes in both shot put and discus, are looking to continue to improve their skills during the season.

“My goal this year is to throw over 50 feet in shot put.” Hines said.

The expectation of continued improvement does not stop with the students, their coaches also hold athletes to a high standard and expect students to work hard in order to be on the team.

“[Students] need to be eligible, have a current athletic physical, a desire to be excellent and be coachable,” Biggs said. “We want our track athletes to be hard-working, determined and someone who is a great representative of Bryan High School.”

Track season lasts begins in February and runs until the state track meet that takes place in Austin on May 13 and 14. If students would like to catch the track team in action they can watch the Viking Relays on March 11 at Merrill Green Stadium.