A team that has been State Champions 9 consecutive times, this powerhouse is here to stay in the coming years. Currently, Hall has been undefeated in this 2022 outdoor season, winning against fellow conference teams such as Simsbury, Farmington, Avon, Northwest Catholic, and Southington. This upcoming Tuesday, the prevailing team will face off against cross-town rival Conard.

So what makes Hall Track and Field such a great program in West Hartford and in the state? One might say it’s just by luck, some may say it is the environment, but others may say it is our consistency. The team covers over 180 athletes this season, with state-level athletes in each group. Reigning Indoor Pole Vault CCC Champion Liam Wright states, “… It’s just such a positive environment where everyone’s rooting for you regardless of skill.” 

Sophomore Isaac Mahler adds, “Hall’s track team has continued to develop an  atmosphere of incredibly dedicated athletes and positive feedback.” 

Freshman Ben Lewis, who has qualified for CCC’s in both the 1600m and the 3200m, says, “My favorite part about track is… how everyone supports each other. From the 3200[m] to the Javelin, everyone respects and encourages each other.”

The colossal size of the team radiates a different type of energy. At the beginning of practice, the team meets outside on the North side of the turf field. Peers and teammates hang out for a few minutes as everybody else arrives outside. 

The mass of the team inspires students who are willing to try out a new sport and motivates competing athletes to persuade their fellow classmates into joining the program. Talented alumni from past years have prompted new athletes to join, convincing them that the team environment and coaching staff are really that unique.  Athletes show up consistently, even through the off-season to have fun and train with teammates, which shows how fascinating the program is. With such an enormous team comes with difficulty and struggle to try to operate a large program, and Head Coach Jeff Billing manages to hold it down well. [Coach Billing Quote].       

In the coming weeks, the Central Conference Championships will take place at Hall, including the seven teams in the conference: (Simsbury, Avon, Conard, Hall, Farmington, Southington, Northwest Catholic). These teams, 3 of which are in West Hartford, will battle to find out who prevails as the team champion in the conference, while also offering medals to champions and runner-ups of individual and relay events. Athletes who have qualified or qualify a State-level mark or time will advance to the State Class LL Championship in the following week, and then compete for a Class title. So far, Hall has won 9 championships, dating back to [2016]. The team also completed a “Perfect Trifecta” this indoor season, taking the CCC, Class LL, and State Open Title.

There have been athletes from various grades in every individual and relay event that have qualified for this upcoming conference meet. The depth of the team range from conference qualifiers as a freshman in the 1600m, a sophomore in the pole vault who placed 7th at this indoor season’s open, three sophomores who broke the 4×100-meter relay previously at the Hillhouse Outdoor Invitational, four state-level juniors competing in the 1600m and 3200m, and seniors covering six-feet, two inches in the high jump to throwing over forty-seven feet in the shot put, to name a few.

Joe Nham, a CCC qualifier in the 110m Hurdles and the 300m Hurdles asserts, “I look forward to competing with the previous athletes… before. Also, if I do not qualify for states [in the normal season], then hopefully I’ll qualify at CCC’s.”

These rivals provide for a vast range of competition compared to normal dual meets where it is more often than not that athletes from Hall are rather competing with each other. Getting to engage with your challengers ever so often can light the flame to a victorious mark. The focus of most athletes at this meet is to jump the furthest, throw the farthest, or run the fastest to score points for the team. With the depth of athletes in every event from Hall’s team, there is no doubt that we will be in contention for that Class LL Championship Title.