He gets his feet set on the block, he has no thoughts running through his head, just adrenaline running through his veins. He waits for the words, “runners on your mark…set…”, BANG!

Xavier High School’s 2021 boys’ track team is filled with many outstanding athletes, but there are two sophomores that catch many people’s attention due to their high performance.

Grayson Hartman and Aidan McDermott have shown their determination to prove that they can be great despite their lack of prior experience. 

“In seventh grade, I tried to do track but quit after a week,” McDermott said. “This year is my first full year and I really only did it to stay in shape for football, but I figured I might as well do my best and try to win.”

Hartman also came into this season with little experience. 

“At first, I was really only running for football,” Hartman said. “I knew I was fast, but I didn’t know I had what it takes to be able to place first and that feeling is always really satisfying.” 

This season, McDermott has placed first in the 100 meter and Hartman has placed first in 110 meter high hurdles, 200 meter and  in his 4×1 team, consisting of seniors, Nick Mautino and Jaxon Rexroth, and junior Will Hiserote. This success has helped Hartman stay calm under pressure. 

“I always get nervous for the relay because of my hand off, but for hurdles the adrenaline takes over and cancels out any nervousness I have,” Hartman said. 

Head Coach Russ Camacho has seen an outstanding amount of leadership in these boys. 

“He [McDermott] is an underclassman who has all of the tools to be a great leader,” Camacho said. “He has a great drive and desire to win, which also pushes others to want to win.” 

Camacho also notices strong determination in Hartman.

“He [Hartman] is one of our top hurdlers and sprinters,” Camacho said. “He is always willing to run any position in relays and will be making a huge impact when it gets time to qualify for state.” 

Track captain Mautino shares his excitement for the two boys to take over his position as a leader next year. 

“Both of them are really hard working guys,” Mautino said. “They both help lead practices already and I am excited to see what they do in the future.” 

Hiserote has seen these boys’ leadership skills work as their teammate as well. 

“He [Hartman] is always ready to get going, do his best and he motivates me by being super competitive,” Hiserote said. 

Hiserote also shines light on the bonds that have been built because of this track season.

“[McDermott] is really funny and he adds a lot of character to the team,” Hiserote said.

Just as McDermott has helped his team, his team has helped him.

“I give all of the credit to my team,” McDermott said. “They are always pushing me, telling me to go hard and cheering for me during meets.” 

This same support has been given to Hartman as well. 

“The people that motivate me most are my hurdle team,” Hartman said. “We always have each other’s backs and push each other to go as hard as we can go.”

Come support Hartman and McDermott, as well as the entire boys’ track team, on Saturday, May 1 at 10:00 a.m. at Kingston Stadium and see the hard work and leadership the Xavier boys’ track team has to offer.