By Sydney Simpson – Editor-in-Chief 

Sophomore hurdler Caden Simpson ran a personal best of 8.90 seconds in the 55 meter hurdle event at the SCC Coaches Invitational meet held on January 22. This time was sufficient enough to qualify the 2021 All-State athlete for 2022 Indoor Track Nationals, held in Staten Island in March. Simpson is also the first leg runner of the girl’s 4×200 meter relay team, which qualified for Class M states during the same meet. Advocate Editor-in-Chief Sydney Simpson interviewed Simpson about her success in making nationals. 

Sydney Simpson: How did you feel when you qualified for Nationals? 

Caden Simpson: Through the season, I  didn’t think I would ever be able to run the time that I did, so it felt really good when I qualified. 

SS: What did you do differently in order to make the qualifying time?

CS: I mainly focused on bringing my leg down faster and sprinting faster in between hurdles but I think I got the time I did because of the people running next to me. They pushed me to go faster because they were ahead. 

SS: How are you going to prepare for the increased competition you will face at Nationals?

CS: I am going to focus on what I can improve on throughout the remainder of the season, and work on little things like my start and how I’m sprinting which will help me in hurdles over all. 

SS: What are your other goals for the rest of the season?

CS: My goals for the season are to improve on my 200 time in order for my relay team to be faster, and I want to make my block start faster because I know it will help me in hurdles as well as any other race.

SS: After not having much of a season last year, how has the season gone this year so far in general?

CS: The season has been going well for everyone. Each member of the team has been trying their best and performing well all season and this year we are allowed to use the weight room and go inside which helps when we can’t practice outside.