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03/08/2022 11:00 PM

Jacaruso Sprints to Success with the Warriors


Madeline Jacaruso enjoyed a solid senior season as a sprinter for the Valley girls’ indoor track team this winter. Photo courtesy of Madeline Jacaruso

When Madeline Jacaruso joined the girls’ indoor track team at Valley Regional, she understandably had the impression that most of her practices would be held inside. Madeline quickly realized that the Warriors held practices outside during the winter, but that didn’t deter her from finding a true passion in running.

Now, Madeline is a senior at Valley who recently finished her final season with the indoor track squad. Madeline, a captain, turned in solid postseason performances in multiple events for the Warriors during the 2022 campaign.

“I have been competing for the indoor track team for the past four years, and I got into it freshman year because I liked to sprint, and I was under the impression that practices would be inside, hence the name of the sport,” says Madeline. “It turned out that practices were actually always outside in the freezing cold, but I kept coming back.”

Madeline is a sprinter in the Valley girls’ track program who competed in the 55-meter dash, the 300-meter run, and the 4x200 relay this winter. Madeline helped her relay take second place at the Shoreline Conference Championship, where she also finished third in the 300 and was fourth for the 55. Madeline’s 4x200 relay also qualified for the Class S State Championship.

“This year, my favorite moment of indoor track has been crafting a new 4x200 relay team,” Madeline says. “For the past three years, I competed with the same relay team, but all of those girls graduated last year. Luckily, many new girls joined the track team this season, and I was able to recruit them to join the relay team. These girls had never been on a relay team before, so [Coach Chris Allegretti] and myself worked with them to perfect handoffs and build up our speed.”

Madeline joined forces with juniors Olivia Baldwin and Eileen Russell and sophomore Abby Reardon in the 4x200 relay this season. The quartet recorded a personal-record (PR) time of 1:57.93 on their way to placing 11th in the Class S state meet.

“It took us a couple meets to get our footing together, but we improved greatly in the end, and my relay team was able to qualify for states,” says Madeline. “I am very proud of our performance at states because we ran our hardest and earned a PR with a time of 1:57.93.”

Head Coach Brian Drinkard describes Madeline as a strong senior leader for the Valley track program. Drinkard says that Madeline is the type of athlete whom all of her teammates aspire to be like.

“Madeline was a four-year member of our indoor track program and qualified for Shorelines in all of her events. She was one of the hardest-working members of our indoor track teams, and her leadership this year was amazing,” Drinkard says. “Madeline is one of the top high school athletic captains I have ever been around in any sport. She is a born leader and has a great future in front of her.”

Madeline credits both Drinkard and Allegretti for helping her become the athlete she is today. Madeline believes that the constant support of her coaches is what always pushed her to go the extra mile in both practices and meets.

“They have always been very supportive of me throughout my indoor track career. Both coaches are always the loudest cheerers when I am competing, which pushes me to run faster,” says Madeline. “Overall, I work every meet to get a PR, not only to make myself proud, but also to make my coaches proud.”

Now that the indoor season has concluded, Madeline is getting ready for her senior campaign with the outdoor track team in the spring. Madeline will once again be sprinting in both individual events and relays for the Warriors.

“I have big expectations for myself and my 4x100 team for this upcoming spring season. Last season, my 4x100 team was able to beat the school record, and I am hopeful that I will be able to recruit another strong group of girls,” Madeline says. “Outdoor track has different distances than indoor, so I sprint in the 4x100 relay team, the 100, and the 200. I am confident that I will have a great outdoor season this year, especially with all of my work this year in indoor.”