GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) -- As the new track season begins at Ottawa Hills High School, the Bengals are focused on building momentum and chasing new personal bests. Leading the program is head coach Dan Ebright, a longtime presence for the program who has helped guide athletes’ development for years.
Last season, Ebright’s impact was evident, as three boys and five girls earned All-Conference honors in the OK White Conference. Among them was junior sprinter and hurdler Talia Pearson, who returns this spring looking to build on that performance.
“You have to work hard to get what you want,” Pearson said. “Without a good mindset, you can’t make it far. And in order to complete your goals, you have to want to put in the work.”
Athletes have also emphasized staying active during the offseason as a way of ensuring they are ready for the season.
Junior sprinter Odon Kiara, whose primary event is the 400 meters, changed his winter routine after last season.
“Last year I didn’t play a winter sport, and I didn’t see improvement I was satisfied with until the middle of the season. So, this year, I decided to swim during the winter to keep myself active before track,” Kiara said.
Freshman sprinter and hurdler Saraya Pearson has also stayed active year-round through home workouts and AAU training.
“Mostly it’s running around my neighborhood,” she said. “I’ll do workouts like sit-ups, pushups, and stretches. I try to stay consistent. I also run AAU indoor practices and outdoor competitions in the summer.”
After months of offseason training, the Bengals are ready to see their preparation take shape in daily practices. Each practice begins with the entire team warming up together before athletes split into event groups.
“Everyone comes together and talks for a bit, then we run laps and do a warm-up as a team,” Talia Pearson said. “After that we break into groups. The distance runners, sprinters, and hurdlers do their own workouts, and the field athletes do something separate too.”
Among the field events, Ottawa Hills has a close-knit group of pole vaulters in sophomores Ella Koster, Lucy Pospisilik, and Alice Nixon. Their practices combine strength training and gymnastics-style exercises before they begin vaulting.
“We do some running warmups and stretching, then a lot of core workouts,” Koster said. “Then we get right into pole vaulting. We also do gymnastics skills like rings, the pull-up bar, and rope.”
The vaulters also spent time training indoors during the winter at Calvin University. “We were consistently vaulting twice a week at Calvin,” Nixon said. “I also go to the gym to stay strong and active.”
Koster enters the season aiming to improve on her own mark. “My goal is to beat my own school record of nine feet,” she said.
Pospisilik hopes to reach that mark as well. “I’d like to PR at nine feet or higher,” she added.
Another highlight this season is the opportunity for sisters Talia and Saraya Pearson to compete together at the high school level. Both are expected to contribute in the short sprints and hurdles as well as on the team’s relay squads. The opportunity to compete together gives the sisters a chance to motivate and push each other throughout the season. Saraya is already anticipating that growth.
“I’d like to bring my times down, especially in the 100 meters,” she said. “I want to be sub-12 seconds. In the 100-meter hurdles, I’m around 14 seconds, and I want to bring that down too.”
The Bengals are looking forward to a season full of challenges and opportunities, with the GR Elite Challenge and the OK White Conference Meet standing out as early highlights. From sprinting on the track to vaulting in the field, each meet gives athletes a chance to set new personal bests and showcase their growth throughout the season.
