Three members of Homestead’s boys track and field team have sprinted their way onto the national stage. The trio spent a weekend running personal bests and setting records in New York City.
From March 13 to March 16, seniors Lucas Mersky and Sean O’Byrne and junior Jay Tally raced against the best of the best at the Nike Indoor Nationals track meet. They competed for their club team, Milwaukee Speed Academy, at the Armory in the heart of Manhattan.
Tally finished second in the emerging elite division of the 800-meter run, setting a new personal best of 1:55.31 to break the school record.
“I was extremely happy with my performance, especially since I placed second overall despite running in a slower heat,” Tally said. Tally came in with a slower time than some of his competitors, but ended up beating many runners who were seeded faster.
In the 1600-meter relay, Mersky and his club teammates set the Wisconsin indoor state record, taking fourth overall in a time of 3:17.43. He also competed in the championship division of the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter dash.
Mersky said the athletes “must meet specific time requirements” in order to qualify for this indoor national meet. As a WIAA state qualifier in the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter dash during the 2024 outdoor season, Mersky’s performances from last year “allowed [him] to scrape into the championship division” for both events.
O’Byrne, another talented sprinter, ran in the championship divisions for the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. Drew Dixon, head coach of Homestead’s boys track and field team, highlighted the boys’ dedication to the sport as the main reason for their success.
“Jay, Lucas, and Sean are all extremely hard workers and have been engaging in the early portions of our high school T&F season as well as offseason workouts while also going to their [club] workouts,” Dixon said. He further praised the athletes, saying “all three of them have extremely high standards for themselves,” and their coaches “can rest easy knowing that none of the three would ever allow themselves to slack off.”
Dixon added that “similar to how all of our guys support each other when an individual or a relay team is running at a meet,” the entire team was “pulling for these three as they competed at Nike indoors.”
“The work that these guys put in is an exceptional example to our other athletes. I think it’s safe to say that all three have goals of standing on the podium this year. All three of them care deeply about team accomplishments as well,” Dixon said. “Knowing how committed they are, I wouldn’t bet against them!”
