Four Herrin High School athletes have once again made track history. Nolen Frost (10), Mason King (11), Braden Davis (11), and Waylon Hall (12) broke the indoor track school record for the 4×800 with a time of 8:25.36. The record was officially broken on March 15 at the Jersey Winter Thaw, and since then, the relay team has broken the record two additional times.
For the past few months, the team has been gearing up for another year of grueling training and intense competition. One way the team has been preparing is through indoor season, which allows athletes to set goals and improve their skills in indoor track facilities. Even from the first indoor meet of the season, the relay team felt a continued momentum from last year’s season, when the same four runners had previously broken the outdoor 4×800 record, which had stood since 1990.
Elaborating on the record, sophomore Nolen Frost said it is “significant for our relay team to hold both the indoor and outdoor 4×800 records. Frost emphasized that despite the “high nerves and pressure for a good time, the entire team performed well, which is a testament to our training”.
Junior Mason King sees breaking the record as “a huge improvement and sign of progress from our starting point last year”. Recalling the record-breaking relay team he was a part of last year, King explains that “it feels pretty good to be part of both 4×800 records”. He added that the race itself “went well overall”, and the team is working together to reach goals and break more records.
Junior Braden Davis reflected on the progress the relay team has made. “As a team, we have been able to all contribute and grow closer as teammates, which has greatly helped get us to this point”. Davis emphasized that breaking this record “only encourages the team to push even more and beat other schools”.
Discussing the progress of this year’s indoor season, senior Waylon Hall stated “We are already seeing good times with indoor. It’s a benchmark to see where you are and gives you good placement for the rest of the season”. Referring to the indoor record, Hall conveyed his excitement that the relay team “is already so close to the outdoor record this early in the season”.
Boys Head Coach James Elliott expressed his excitement in the team. “We have seen this team push through injuries and overcome obstacles to get here. I’m very thrilled to see the progress our team has made and cannot wait to see what happens in outdoor season”.
Wrapping up the indoor season, the relay team qualified and ran their final indoor meet this past Saturday (March 29th) at Illinois Top Times. This meet is the equivalent of indoor state finals, and the boys placed 9th in the 4×800 with a new PR (personal record) of 8:19.63.
The boys all say they use each other for motivation because they are constantly pushing their fellow teammates to be better and encouraging them through each step. Ultimately, the boys mainly credit their success to Coach Elliott and Coach Blakey because of their mentorship and constant encouragement to all of them. The boys expressed gratitude to their coaches for fully investing in each one of their lives and showing a passion for the sport in general.
With the indoor season winding down, the boys now look forward to the outdoor season, which they all agree is the most exciting part of the season. They all reflect the same sentiment to improve on some key aspects of the race and are optimistic that times will continue to drop throughout the season. The boys have set individual goals as well as a 4×800 goal of under eight minutes, a time which would guarantee a spot at the state meet and cement another broken record. The boys’ track team kicks off their outdoor season this Saturday, April 5th, at Benton for the Spring Fling and the following Tuesday, April 8th at Du Quoin for the Du Quoin Open.
