Senior Finley Stebenne has been a determined track athlete for four years. His love for running has fueled his long journey to the top, and he is now among the best athletes in Rhode Island.  In addition to his hard work, Stebenne couldn’t have become such an accomplished runner without his family, friends, coaches, and a good playlist.

While balancing schoolwork, long practices almost every day, and even longer meets, Stebenne has become one of the top sprinters in the state. At this year’s RIIL Dwyer Divisional Dual Meet on January 5th, he ran the 55-meter hurdles in 8.77 seconds, gaining a new personal record and a ranking of 14th in the state. At that same meet, he set another personal record by completing the 300-meter dash in only 38.84 seconds, securing a rank of 31st in the state.

Sue Carlson, one of the head track coaches, has worked with Stebenne through his ups and downs over the past four years. She is confident in the athlete’s ability to continue building his skills, and his character is certainly something that will always guide Stebenne to success.

“The support from our coaching and his friends and family helped him stay dedicated and work harder,” she said.

At this season’s World Trophy Invitational on January 10th, he sprinted to the finish line of the 400-meter dash in 54.55 seconds and earned second place.

It’s clear that Stebenne is a gifted athlete, but to perform at his level also requires loads of hard work. Even with all of his success, Stebenne still struggles like any high school athlete forced to juggle academics, sports, and a job–all in addition to a personal life.

“My biggest challenge was consistency,” he admitted. “I struggled to motivate myself to go to the track or the gym to do a workout if I was too tired.”

Despite his battle against burnout, the key to Stebenne’s success is determination. His strong desire to continue improving his athletic performance has set him apart from the competition, and has allowed him to overcome even his most difficult challenges.

“What keeps me motivated is the idea of being one of the best in the state and earning my place on a college track team,” he said.

Another thing that keeps Stebenne motivated is music. Travis Scott and Playboi Carti are some of his go-to artists to get his energy up, an important factor in success. Having seemingly little things like a song to sing along to may seem unimportant, but even small boosts of motivation make a huge difference.

As he approaches the end of his high school career, Stebenne has done nothing but make LHS proud. His top athletic performance combined with his willingness to work hard has made him stand out as one of our best student-athletes. 

Stebenne has plans to continue showcasing his athleticism in college track, and is currently working towards earning scholarships. There is no doubt that success will follow him wherever he decides to go to college.

“He is dedicated to winning,” Carlson said.

Ezrie Zahlany, an impressively fast junior runner on the girls’ track team has been running track from as early as seventh grade. 

At the World Trophy Invitational on January 10th, Zahlany ranked 16th in the state for the 400-meter sprint with a time of 1:06.43. On January 3rd, at the RITCA Invitational, she and her teammates Bella Ridge, Alyssa Lopes, and Grace Araujo, earned 14th in the state for the 4×200-meter relay with a time of 1:56.46. Zahlany and her 4×400 relay team including Alyssa Lopes, Jaylene Monteiro, and Hayden Lugar ran the event in 4:34.35 seconds at the January 5th RIIL Dwyer Division Dual Meet, ranking them 11th in the state.

Her highlights from this year’s season so far are a result of Zahlany’s dedication to getting the most out of her training every day.

Carlson makes sure that she is “fully pushing herself during every single workout and working to her fullest potential.”

One of Zahlny’s biggest inspirations was her mom, who was also a track athlete during her high school years.  

“My mom grew up running it, which inspired me to stick with it,” she said. 

After a successful meet, Zahlany loves to go out with her mom for a nice meal as a small treat to celebrate her victories. Her relationship with her mom, which comes with immense support and encouragement, has absolutely helped her maintain her love for running.

One of the keys to Zahlany’s phenomenal athleticism is staying active even outside of track. In addition to her track practices, she is consistent with workouts and is a player on the LHS volleyball team.

“What keeps me motivated is staying healthy and making sure I’m doing some sort of sport at all times,” she said.

Of the two sports that she plays, Zahlany enjoys track the most. Her passion for the sport has kept her devoted to enhancing her skills with every practice. 

In order to dedicate more time to running, Zahlany did not play volleyball during club season.

“[Track] is my favorite out of the two and I wanted to start taking it more seriously,” she said.

Zahlany’s friends, family, and coaches have certainly provided endless support, helping her put her best foot forward with every race or workout, and she makes sure to return the favor. Zahlany places just as much importance on showing up to encourage her fellow teammates as she does on her own performance.

“I enjoy watching everyone else run,” she said. “Throughout my track meets I’ll go see friends from other teams, watch other teams run, and support my own teammates who are running in their own events other than my own.”

Zahlany’s sportsmanship, dedication, and undeniable athleticism have made her a valuable addition to the Lincoln track team to say the least. There is no doubt that in addition to her talent, her character will ensure that each race throughout the rest of her high school career will demonstrate Zahlany’s incredible and consistent effort.