Stockton: The Sprinting Beast of the Class L Division
NEIRAD enilno edition
“Runners at your mark…” The boys start to sweat at the line, with adrenaline pumping throughout their body. “Get set.” Everyone awaits the gun shot as the gun is raised. The runners anticipate the finger moving and pulling the trigger. “Booom” and they’re off. Stockton McMullin is a sprinting beast. He also pulled off another feat being named captain as a junior. He credits that feat to the vibe on the outdoor track team.
“This goes for the team as a whole. Our team is highly motivated and also very competitive towards some of the best teams. We have lots of team chemistry and a want to be the best,” Stockton said.
This junior captain experiences this moment during every race in which he participates:: long jump, triple jump, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash. Landing the captain spot of outdoor track and indoor track, many underclassmen members look up to Stockton. He trains hard and encourages other students to excel. Stockton also supports people to try new field events and stick to ones they love to compete. He puts effort always tries to go to every track practice.
"Stockton is always working hard at practice. He shows a lot of dedication to his team. Not only is he working hard to help better his performance, but he is also helps a lot of the jumpers with their techniques as well,” senior girl’s track captain Christy Gasparino said.
These practices are not just a simple perfunctory exercise. The coaches organize a schedule for the track members and expect them to put all their effort into the drills. “Our team works extremely hard at practice. Every day we have a workout, we all put in 100 percent to hit the times. No one slacks off. I believe it has made us extremely successful and has led to the dynasty that this team is creating,” senior track captain Jake McCauley said.
Stockton's Top 5 Movies:
- The Bourne Series: "Identity," "Supremacy," and "Ultimatum"
- "The Sixth Sense"
- "Platoon"
- "Hot Rod"
- "Sandlot"
Stockton pushes every to show up at track practice every day and take it seriously. He can promise you that results will show and training is what makes everyone faster. “I would be absolutely nowhere without practice. The power and endurance that's gained through practice is demanded when competing in high level meets,” Stockton said.
This speed demon isn’t your average runner. He joined the track team as a freshman and showed everyone his true talent. Stockton gained respect and as he progressed, he shattered times. After two years on the track team, the trackies saw his potential and voted him a captain last spring. This honor is rare for any junior to accomplish. Then again, Stockton’s times speak for themselves:
100 meters – 11.0 seconds Long Jump – 21’ 8”
Triple Jump – 42’ 9” 200 meters – 22.7 seconds
400 meters – 50.6 seconds 4 x 100 relay – 44.4 seconds
4 x 200 relay – 1 min 33 second (29th in nation)
Darien, now participating in bigger and more competitive, Class L division this season will have to work harder to obtain the same level of success. The times must be faster to qualify for FCIACS. The boy's track teams toughest competition is Danbury and Westport - two teams that are the best in the division. These teams are the ones that DHS uses to spur themselves to perform better. Then there is personal and perennial arch-rival New Canaan: a team closer to the DHS skill set and even possible to beat unlike Danbury who is just too strong.
Teammates junior Kevin Keller and senior captain Brent Eppley both encourages Stockton in every race and there is always a competitive feeling between the three trackies to be the fastest even in this tougher new division. “Being a senior, I would feel embarrassed if Stockton beat me, but he is always close and makes me give everything I got on every repetition [practice and meets],” Brent Eppley said.
As a captain, Stockton has responsibilities, some of them being promoting teamwork, hard training, and trying your hardest. He displayed his drive as a freshman and through the years improved his talents. His ability to jump and sprint will always be remembered and he will always be a role model to fellow trackies. There’s really only a few words to describe Stockton, one of them is: BEAST.
