According to the website ny.milesplit.com, Norwich’s boys indoor track and field team is the sixth-ranked Class B team in the state this winter.

With standouts Matt Murray and Patrick Taylor leading the way for the Tornado, the ranking is well deserved.

Because their meets are all at least an hour’s drive away, it’s not surprising that the Tornado’s group of athletes have quietly went about their business under the direction of head coach Shaun Horan. After last week’s performances at the Section IV state qualifier, Murray, Taylor, and sophomore girls standout, Sydney Chaffee, are firmly affixed on the track and field radar.

Murray won the section title in the 600-meter dash with a school-record 1:22.79; Taylor earned a state-meet-qualifying jump in the long jump of 21 feet 6 1/2 inches to place second, and Chaffee not only set a new school record in the 300-meter dash, but her time of 42.84 seconds placed her second in the section as she earned a spot among the state’s best for the March 3 New York State Championships at Cornell University.

The trio of NHS state qualifiers – and record-breakers – have continued to raise the bar with their performances, and have earned our weekly distinction as Smith Ford Supercenter/Evening Sun Athletes of the Week.