Groton boys track and field wins first-ever NEPSTA title in the Maqubela Track and Field Complex’s inaugural season

In just its first season with an on-campus facility, Groton School’s boys track and field team won its first-ever New England Preparatory School Track Association (NEPSTA) title on May 18, with Salim Hill ’25 being named Most Outstanding Male Athlete.

Salim took home first-place finishes in the 100m and 200m, as well as finishing third in the long jump and contributing to Groton’s 4x100m relay team. 

Groton’s girls team finished fifth in the NEPSTA. Colby Gund ’24 won the pole vault in her first season competing in the event.

Like many Groton student-athletes, Colby tried a new event this season thanks to the opening of the Vuyelwa and Temba Maqubela Track and Field Complex, Groton’s first on-campus facility for the sport. Until this past spring, Groton could not host home meets, and student-athletes had to travel to neighboring towns to practice. 

The new track and field complex is the result of Groton’s Strategic Framework 2030, adopted by the Board of Trustees in November 2021, which identified inclusion, belonging, and student well-being as key pillars. As a sport without barriers, requiring no prior training and no special equipment for the participant, track and field was seen as a great way to enhance those pillars and the track-and-field facility project was started. 

In January 2023, after just four months, fundraising for the new track and playing fields met its goal, adding to Groton School’s ongoing work of inclusion and tuition containment through the GRAIN (GRoton Affordability and INclusion) initiative. 

The new facility includes an eight-lane track that can accommodate every event in high school competition, including shot put, discus, javelin, long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole vault. A natural grass soccer/lacrosse field sits in the infield.

Other top Groton finishers included Jenny Polynice ’25, who finished second in the shot put, Christopher Hovet ’25, who finished third in both the 1500m and 3000m, and Jeremy Gall ’24, who finished third in the 400m. Groton’s girls relay teams also finished second in both the 4x100m (Camille Kucera '26, Alicia Ye ’25, Tori Reece ’25, and Daisy Adinkrah '24) and 4x400m (Grace Best ’26, Inga Bartsch ’24, Lauren Jerrett ’24, and Tabitha Picucci ’27).