Tee Atwater is currently a senior at Highland Park High School. They’re known for their bright personality and amazingly successful track and field career. During the 2022-2023 winter track season, Tee placed 3rd in the 3200-meter race at the state championships. After the state championships was the Meet of Champs, which is one of the most difficult meets of the winter season. Tee was the only runner from HPHS to attend this track meet. Not only did they place in the top 25, but they also broke the HPHS indoor track record in the 3200 m with a time of 11:41. Tee commented, “I was really excited to attend this race because it was a goal of mine for all four years of high school, and I felt pretty good after my race. Since it was a combination of a lot of hard work, I got the result I hoped for and am satisfied with it. And hopefully, I can approve my time and attend this race again in the spring.”
Track is an activity not only of athletics, but of community. Tee’s favorite track moment was running over to Rutgers’ Livingston Campus and exploring the area with their teammates. Their appreciation of their coaches and fellow runners is clear. “I’m very grateful for my coaches and teammates that pushed me over the years,” Tee noted. “Especially Ennyn; I’m a big Ennyn fan and Lydia fan. And I’m just very greatful for so many of my teammates. They were always there for me, mainly during the Meet of the Champs race. I was the only one in our school racing, but so many of them came to support me.”
After graduation, Tee is attending SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. They’re going to major in conservation biology and run on the track and cross-country teams there, too. Let’s wish Tee good luck on track during their last spring season and their plans beyond HPHS, both as a runner and a peer.
Tee at the Meet of Champs. Noah Kee Marks