More than Community: High School Track and Field

The importance of athletics to the Wilmington community is made apparent in boosters programs and high attendance of games by people with and without students on the various teams.  More than that, though, is the love students have for their teammates and respective sports.  The Wilmington High School Girls Track and Field team maintains bonds between all athletes and coaches during and after students graduate, exemplifying the "bleed blue and white" attitude of the town.


The sense of community felt by Wilmington High School Girls Track and Field team is shown through their matching apparel and enormous banquets, but few who witness this dedication recognize just how deep these bonds are.  Both coaches and athletes feel a sense of healthy obligation to their teammates, "You just can't let them down... they're your family" says high school sophomore Taeya Peroni (2 years, 4 seasons), "You hit that wall, but you keep sprinting because it's not just your points on the line, it's the whole team's".

2016 Girls Winter Track Team

Every practice is met with the same intensity as every meet. "You're there to work," Emma Garrity (1 year, 2 seasons), a freshman, explains "that was clear from the beginning.  These girls are here to support you, but they're also here to push you to do your best". This is the same mentality that lead the team to victory against Burlington High School, earning them the title of Middlesex Freedom Division  League Champions.

After an almost perfect season, the team knew the championship title was in reach.  The good news was a relief after the death of beloved coach Mr. Kelley on January 6th rocked the group to its core.  The Wilmington community lost one of their own that day. After a childhood of adversity, Mr. Kelley emerged with strength and became a well respected math teacher and coach at Wilmington High School, starting the cross country and track and field programs. He was known not only for the erasers he threw at the loudspeaker, but for pulling kids aside in the hallway and suggesting they try out for the track team. His dedication to the community survived long after his retirement; up until his last days you could always find him giving pointers by the discus circle from 2:30-5:00 every weekday afternoon and on weekends, hanging out at meets with his famous pith helmet and stick. Whether you personally knew him or not, everyone in Wilmington knows who Mr. Kelley is. Both athletes and coaches struggled to cope with the loss of such a wonderful man; without hesitation, the coaches and athletes from both the boys and girls track teams decided to attend his wake together, supporting each other just as he taught them to do. The community showed support as well, hanging a banner from the fence surrounding the tennis courts which reads “WHS Remembers Mr. Kelley.”  

"WHS Remembers Mr. Kelley" Banner displayed at tennis court

The day of the wake, Coach Brian Schell held practice for the girls, giving them the chance to mourn their loss without losing sight of the program's goal. "Mr. Kelley would have wanted us to practice" a teary Schell says, speaking to his team, still in their mourning black "we practice to win, and we win for Mr. Kelley." The girls track team had not won a championship in the history of Mr. Kelley's program. The high school displayed the names of each athlete as well as the article published in the Town Crier in honor of the historic feat; the names of all the girls were read over the loudspeaker. The victory was not only a win for the coaches, athletes, and Mr. Kelley but for the entire program as well.

Girls Winter Track participants names on display in the High School Lobby

The importance of this event to the town was apparent through both a display in school and a dinner in honor of the athletes. The girls felt the win on a deeper level. "It's more than just a title" high school senior and team captain Elisabeth Olson (4 years, 10 seasons) explains, "we worked for us and for Mr. Kelley. The fact that this is historic for the town just makes it even better". The girls could not be happier to bring the town to victory; "Their love for the sport, their community, and each other is what really pushed them to succeed" says Coach Adam Dell'Aria "there is no team quite like this one".


This dedication will follow WHS Track graduates (Elisabeth Olson, Samantha Pitzi, Julia Gake, Annie Romanzo, Christina Cox, Charlotte Sulick, Mira Patel, Jessica Lifton, Katy Bischoff, Moesha Beray, Taylor Santry, and Jamie Shanning) as they enter adulthood prepared to thrive. The girls who remain will continue to make Wilmington proud and maintain the legacy of greatness Mr. Kelley has left behind.

Charlotte Sulick and Elisabeth Olson