This past weekend, the Green Hope indoor track team took their talents to the almighty meet: the State Championship. After a successful season, filled with PRs, records and action-packed meets, the Falcons were ready to compete for the title.
The meet kicked off with the girls’ 4x800m relay consisting of Juliette Diaz (‘28), Uma Upadhyay (‘27), Riley Blake (‘27) and Eva Rodriguez (‘27) running a time of 10:14.21, placing them 11th in the state. As for the boys’ side, the 4x800m of Andrew Leary (‘26), Gabriel Cardenas (‘26), Adam Mitchell (‘26) and Ethan Beck (‘27) ran a blazing time of 7:54.56, granting them the second fastest time in Green Hope History. The 4×800 came away with fourth place, putting them at 15th in the nation. As for the other relays, the girls 4x200m of Sophia Blasigh (‘29), Bridget Kannar (‘28), Shreeya Gole (‘28) and Ellie Beck (‘27) placed sixth with a time of 1:44.40. The girls 4x400m of Isabel Short (‘28), Bridget Kannar (‘28), Shreeya Gole (‘28) and Ellie Beck (‘27) placed seventh in the state with a time of 4:04.72. Finally, the boys’ 4x400m of Jedidiah Volcheck (‘27), Tyson Hardy (‘28), Andrew Leary (‘26) and Ethan Beck (‘27) duked it out, placing third with a time of 3:24.47.
In the field, senior Alex Robinson (‘26) cleared 12-00.00 in the pole vault, tying him for fifth. Sophomore Jaya Xu (‘28) cleared 8-00.00 in the pole vault, placing her in seventh. Sophomore Kyle Richards (‘28) threw 50-07.25 in the shot put, breaking the sophomore Green Hope record and placing him second in the state. Another sophomore, Sam Cowen, threw 35-07.75 in the shot put, placing her fifth. Lastly, for jumps, junior Ryder Schorzman (‘27) jumped 42-00.50 in the triple jump, placing him ninth.
As for the athletes who competed in individual events, sophomore Tyson Hardy broke the Green Hope sophomore 500m time, with a time of 1:05.10, placing him fourth in the state. In the 1000m, seniors Andrew Leary and Gabriel ‘GC’ Cardenas battled from start to finish. Ultimately, Leary came out in third with a time of 2:31.45, and Cardenas was shortly behind in fourth with a 2:32.07. In the 1600m, sophomore Isabel Short ran a time of 5:15.67, placing her ninth. Lastly, the 500m on the girls’ side had sophomore Shreeya Gole in seventh with a time of 1:18.43 and junior Ellie Beck in first place with an 8A record of 1:14.11, crowning her state champion.
Junior Ellie Beck participated in the 500m, 4x200m and the 4x400m, with her most notable performance coming in the 500m, as she coasted to victory to be the 2026 Girls 500m State Champion. Beck spoke on becoming a state champion, and how it prepares her for the upcoming outdoor season, “I’m motivated knowing I can do more than I thought… I’m hoping the 500m can translate to the 400m outdoors so I become a state champ once again”. Beck is known for multiple events; however, the 500m is the most significant of them all. When asked about the pressure she faces, “I definitely feel the most pressure with the 500m… Since being at the top, I feel the need to prove myself”. Beck emphasizes the camaraderie that surrounds her on the Green Hope track team, “My friends are the reason I show up every day… Having connections with people on the team is important to me, the bond I have with them is what gets me through the hard workouts day-in and day-out”. Beck, only a junior, plans to attend New Balance Nationals alongside the team, and one day she hopes to be running at the collegiate level, continuing her passion on the oval.
Senior Andrew Leary also had a 3-race day, competing in the 4x800m, 1000m and the 4x400m, performing stellarly in each. His highlight of the day came from the 1000m, performing a stellar kick on the bell lap to earn himself bronze. Leary states, “Seeing my best friend Gabe pass me on the final stretch awakened me.
I couldn’t let that happen, so I kicked it into another gear.” Leary has been a member of the Green Hope track team for 3 years now. “Track has taught me many valuable lessons; it’s taught me discipline and consistency, which have translated to other aspects of my life.” Leary emphasized the feeling of success after months of hard work, “The support around me, as well as my coaches, are those to be credited, helping me earn this success along the way”. Leary, a senior, also plans to attend New Balance Nationals before wrapping up his High School career with the upcoming outdoor campaign.
That concludes the official Green Hope Falcons 2026 indoor track season—an action-packed meet with tons of stellar performances and an overall third-place finish for the boys’ team. The Falcons look to the postseason to compete at New Balance Nationals and prepare for the upcoming outdoor season in the spring.
