These days, North Brunswick's track team laces up its running shoes and tells the rest of New Jersey to keep up. Our high flying, record breaking, roadrunners, led by coach Grimes, have taken firm control of the GMC conference the past few years. Over just a short period of time, they have won back-to-back (indoor and outdoor) conference championships, as well as amassed enough individual medals to fill the bed of a pickup truck! Whether it was Tyler O'Garro setting state high jump records, or Michael Perry clocking the fastest hurdle time in NJ, or our boys' shuttle hurdle team locking down the best time in the country, our track team is undeniably a force to be reckoned with. So when we had the opportunity to interview the stars of our track team, we sprang at the opportunity like Kaya Woldron off the starting blocks! Here are some bits and pieces of our interviews with Michael Perry, Tez Grimes, Tyler O'Garro, Melissa Benitez, and Kaya Waldron.


What was the main focus for your team going into this race?
Tez: Our main goal as a team was to finish the race to the best of our ability and get the win.
Kaya: We were mainly focused on bringing our time down to qualify for nationals and being positive.

What do you think made this run different from your previous races?
Melissa: This was my first year running a shuttle hurdle relay and doing hurdling in general, and it felt good because we won.
Tez: Most of the people on the relay have much more experience, and we have more speed now that Jamel joined us.

How do you push each other to be better every day in practice?
Michael: We talk smack about the things we do wrong, and we push each other to be better.
Tez: We keep it real with each other, and when we see a mistake, we correct it.

What mindset did you have stepping onto the track for such a high-pressure race?
Kaya: Focus, because if I’m not focused, I would be the one to mess up the race for everyone, and I couldn’t do that because we had such a big goal.
Michael: To not let my team or myself down.

What does it mean to represent your school with the fastest time in the country?
Tez: It means a lot to me because I’ve been here my whole life, and to represent North Brunswick on a national level is a really big deal.
Melissa: It means a lot to represent North Brunswick at nationals after working hard trying to qualify, and I’m glad to do it with my team.

How has this performance changed your goals for the rest of the season?
Michael: It hasn’t. The goal is to win everything, and that hasn’t changed.
Melissa: This performance really focused on my goal of improving my hurdling so I can perform well at Nationals.

What stands out the most to you about this group compared to past relays?
Tez: This past relay is the most focused our group has been.
Michael: Our chemistry was different, having a new person, and I believe we got along better this past relay.
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How do you feel about achieving so much?
Tyler: It feels surreal. It’s a great feeling knowing that I was able to do it, and it inspires me to do more.
Kaya: Overall, I am so proud of my performance, and I know what I have to work on to get to higher heights.


Do you plan on continuing track in the future?
Tyler: Yes, I definitely do. I plan to go to college for track and potentially become a professional track athlete.
Melissa: Yes, I plan on continuing track in the future, and I cannot wait to see where this sport takes me.