Zoey Hrabe
The Occidental Track and Field team hosted the Oxy Distance Carnival and Spring Break Classic at the Bill Henry Olympic Track March 9. The first event, men’s shot put, was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., and the meet lasted the entire day, with the final event, women’s 10,000-meter dash, beginning at 10:10 p.m. At the meet, pole vaulter Zoey Hrabe (first year) reached a height of 3.5 meters (11′ 5.75″), catapulting her to fourth all-time on the school’s pole vault leaderboard.
Hrabe, the team’s only female pole vaulter, said her preparation for this meet was a departure from her usual routine, which consists of an early team breakfast and a playlist.
“Before that meet — this is going to make me sound crazy — I woke up at 5:30 a.m.,” Hrabe said. “Me and my friend went and we walked up to the top of [Mt.] Fiji and watched the sunrise.”
She said the reason for this change was her feeling that her mind was not as sharp for morning meets — women’s pole vault is typically an earlier event. According to Hrabe, her friend who is also on the team Skylar Cottell (first year), suggested that she could give herself more time in the mornings to mentally focus.
“I was like, ‘Skylar, I’m having trouble feeling awake at these meets,'” Hrabe said. “She’s like, ‘Well, maybe just wake up earlier.’ So we did.”
The new routine worked, according to Hrabe — during that meet, she notched a college personal record, and Cottell set a lifetime personal record.
“Might have to make it a tradition now,” Hrabe said.
Abbi Lorett (first year), a teammate of Hrabe’s, said Hrabe helps uplift the team with her consistently positive attitude in the locker room.
“Zoey’s a really fun person to be around,” Lorett said. “I feel like everyone on the team really appreciates her and all the energy she brings to our team.”
Lorett, who lives on the same floor as Hrabe in Braun Hall, said the team has led them to form a friendship this past semester that goes beyond the field.
“Because we’re on the same team, [it] really helped us become close,” Lorett said.
Going forward, Lorett said she predicts more smashing results for Hrabe.
“She’s already such a strong athlete coming into it,” Lorett said. “And I think considering all the training that we did in the fall and the winter and even now, I think she’s going to have a really great rest of her season.”
Zach McGraw
The Oxy Distance Carnival saw another Occidental Track and Field athlete put up a stellar finish. Zach McGraw (sophomore) placed third in the 100-meter dash out of a pool of 53 runners, hitting a time of 11.09 seconds.
McGraw said via email that he was a tad skittish going into the meet due to the wet weather but that he was still confident in his ability to do well.
According to McGraw, his teammates have been a big part of his successful performances; the competition between all of them during practices has sharpened his running and cut away at his times.
“My team has been crucial in helping my performances,” McGraw said. “They push me to improve since all of our times are so competitive with one another’s.”
McGraw said fellow runner Shane Kawakami-Williams (sophomore), specifically, has been a useful racing partner.
“It has been very helpful to sprint with Shane since we have both been consistently going sub-11 in the 100m,” McGraw said. “Seeing someone else hit a fast time makes me want it even more.”
According to Kawakami-Williams, McGraw has been in fine form as of late, making his performance at the meet no surprise.
“He’s been looking sharp,” Kawakami-Williams said. “I knew he was going to do good at that meet.”
Kawakami-Williams, who was part of the same recruiting class as McGraw, said he still remembers their first encounter.
“The first time we met, he thought I was lying to him about my time,” Kawakami-Williams said.
Despite this, Kawakami-Williams said he and McGraw have become close friends, largely because of their competition on the team.
“Even outside of track, we hang out a lot as a group,” Kawakami-Williams said. “He’s been a very good friend of mine.”
According to Kawakami-Williams, his and McGraw’s races are always neck and neck, which has pushed both of them to become faster.
“I’m always [looking] out of my peripheral vision because he’s one of the people that is always right there,” Kawakami-Williams said.
According to Kawakami-Williams, he typically has a slight edge over McGraw when racing. However, he said that he’s worried that could change.
“He has no idea how to do [a] block start,” Kawakami-Williams said. “[But] I’m a little worried that if he learns how to do that, he might just beat me.”
Contact Noah Kim at nkim4@oxy.edu
