You’re on the track, spikes in hand and eyes on the winding rubber path.

From there, you must prepare yourself for the physical and mental effects of being a track and field student athlete.

The girls track and field team implemented new coaches, extended practices after school and more runners in hopes of a record-breaking season.

Freshman Marielle Le is one of the 30 girls that tried out for the team in December. Having run in seventh and eighth grade, Le decided not to “waste” her track experience and try out for the team.

“I ran cross country this season, last season and in 7th grade,” Le said. “I also did track in eighth grade. Last year, [the] 4×4 was my favorite event. I just want[ed] to see how fast I can get with this new team.”

Le’s transition from cross country to track has not been easy, but support from her teammates encourages her to continue her athletic journey.

”[Track after cross country] was definitely hard,” Le said. “I was very out of shape, but it was good because I got to see everyone else and where they were at. The team is very welcoming and very supportive. It’s just a very conducive environment to grow and focus on running.”

After running cross country and track with Le at T. H. Rogers, freshman Julia Umana decided to explore running at the high school level, an experience that she describes so far as “great.”

”I’ve been [running] for a while already, and then [Marielle and I] got to be teammates with some of the runners from cross country.” Umana said. ”It’s been great. The coaches are nice, I feel like we put in effort. The teammates are great, and I have Marielle, so it’s very fun.”

Athletes aren’t the only new additions to the track and field team. Assistant distance coach Courtney Meekins and assistant girls sprinter coach Jamael McTear use their first year on Bellaire’s coaching staff to implement new strategies and mindsets in hopes of more season wins.

Meekins — a former record-holding varsity sprinter at Bellaire — is no stranger to track and field or student life. She was classically trained in ballet, tap and jazz dance and tutored kids in math at Lamar and Westside high schools. Running, however, was a passion that appeared “randomly.”

“I was in [track] all of my years [at Bellaire], and I met some really great friends and had some really good teachers,” Meekins said. “I think being an athlete helped me prioritize what I thought was most important. It taught me how to take instruction from my coaches, how to take a loss if I don’t win the race [and] how to be a good winner.”

Meekins’ experience tutoring at the high school and later, collegiate level at Prairie View A&M motivated her to pursue teaching professionally. She taught at a KIPP public charter school in San Antonio before moving back to her hometown to teach at Bellaire and lead by example as one of the few Black women in her department.

“What I appreciated [when I first started teaching] was that my presence and my impact did help my students in the room,” Meekins said. “It also conveyed to Black girls [and] boys who look like me [that] we can do math. Maybe math is not a foreign language.”

In addition to teaching, her “love” for running drew her back to the world of track and field. As a former sprinter, Meekins had to adapt her coaching skills to train distance runners.

“[Coaching distance] isn’t my specialty, because I wasn’t a distance runner. However, because I am a coach and I understand the sport, I do my best,” Meekins said. “Right now, the most difficult part is convincing athletes that it’s not easy. If you’re not actually giving forth the effort, then it won’t yield a result, right? So that’s the thing that I’m wanting to do more: yield out some results.”

The results this season have been clear. Multiple athletes have reached personal records in their events at junior varsity and varsity meets, even winning the most points at the 2025 Houston Relays at Barnett Stadium. With the season coming to an end, Meekins hopes to leave a lasting impression on her athletes in their athletic and personal lives.

“Similar to that ‘aha’ moment [as] a teacher, the influence I’m hoping to come across with is that the hard work really does pay off,” Meekins said. “You really do see the fruit of your labor when you put in the effort, even when it’s difficult.”

Despite coming from a “very athletic family” and being a former professional track athlete, McTear had a late start to the running. A self-described “runt of the family,” he discovered “a new love” for running in his junior year of high school.

He picked up the sport quickly, receiving a full-ride scholarship for track at Grambling State University and professionally as an unattached athlete for three years afterward. He received his first coaching opportunity at Texas Southern University before coaching at Bellaire, which fueled his passion for coaching at the high school level.

“Just seeing the improvements of each individual athlete come to life is what ignited [my] passion to seek more and more opportunities in this particular field,” McTear said.

Now, as the assistant track and field coach, McTear’s passion continues to grow as he is “loving” his job.

“I enjoy each and every day that I come here,” McTear said. “I love my students, I’m loving the journey of getting to know all the athletes. It’s definitely a joy being a part of this particular journey.”

McTear encourages his athletes and students to “always strive to be the best.”

“Never get into something wanting to be the bare minimum or someone in the middle of the pack,” McTear said. “Stand out with every effort that you have.”