Stella Goss ’26 is a four-year Senior who currently lives in Salisbury, Connecticut. She is co-captain of Girls Varsity Track and Field and a member of Girls Varsity Soccer. On April 18, she broke the school record for girls’ javelin at Deerfield Academy’s Hunt Invitational Relays. Her throw of 140’ 2” beat the previous record by almost 9 feet, which at the time of publishing places her 25th nationally. Next year, she will continue track and field at Washington University in St. Louis.
Head coach of the Track and Field program, Nathan Seidenberg, said, “Stella is an exemplary track athlete. Her drive and determination are second to none.”
How did you get involved with track and field?
I was a Lower Mid and looking for something to do in the spring. My dad really wanted me to do track, and I was vehemently against it. I thought, “I don’t want to run, I don’t want to run, I don’t want to throw, I don’t want to jump, I don’t want to do any of it.” He made me a deal. He said, “I think you’d be good at it. If you really hate it after a year, you can quit.” He also got me a javelin for Christmas, which I was a little bit mad about. I thought, “Great, you’re giving me more athletic expectations as a gift.”
I showed up to shot put and discus and really enjoyed it. I asked my coach, “Can I do javelin?” He said that they had too many throwers, but at the next meet, we were short somebody. My coach said, “Stella, I’m gonna put you in the javelin.” And I said, “Oh, I’ve never touched a javelin in my life before.” He said, “Well, you’re gonna throw it today.” So I threw it, and afterwards, he said, “Yeah, this is your thing.” So I started doing javelin.
I started practicing more in the off season after my Lower Mid year, and by my Upper Mid year, I was looking forward to the season in a way that I wasn’t really expecting.
I had also been looking at colleges for soccer, and I had gotten some offers for that. After New Englands last year, I started wondering if track was something I would want to pursue at the next level. So I started talking to coaches, and the rest is history. Track has opened a lot of doors for me, and it’s also something that I really enjoy. That’s why I decided to pursue it in college.
What do you like about track and field?
One thing I really like about track is that as much as it is a team sport, you’re also responsible for pulling your own weight. You have a team that rallies around you, teammates who come out and support you, and vice versa. You’re part of something bigger. But at the same time, getting a result or individual win in track and field is on you. You’re the only one who can make it happen.
I really like the team aspect, and I also think being in an individual sport is great for accountability. You’re able to see the effort that you’re putting in being translated into results in real time. There’s not anyone that you can blame.
Who has inspired you as an athlete?
I grew up living near Stanford, so my soccer club team would often be the bowl girls for the Stanford women’s soccer games. We would get to meet the players after, and after one of the games, I went up to the goalie. I was 10 years old, so I said, “Oh my god, you’re amazing. I’m a goalie too.” She said, “Who’s your trainer?” And I said, “I don’t really have one.” She said, “I’ll train you.” So she started training me when she was in college. She ended up going pro, but she became a family friend and a mentor for me.
Over the years, she has been a really big part of my life, whether it’s giving me advice on big life decisions or—in the past—when to switch soccer clubs or try a new sport. She has been not only a mentor and a coach, but also a friend. Being able to see someone who is such a big part of my life and is also so successful has made me want to be like her and make a difference in other people’s lives as well.
What are some things about your sport that you wish more people knew?
I think that for track and field in general and for throwing events, especially, a lot of people don’t really understand what the events are. People tend to lump a lot of the throwing events into the same category when they really couldn’t be more different.
One misconception that I hear a lot is that throwers are unathletic. You are going to have a wide variety of body types in track and field, but at the end of the day, track and field is athletics. Track and field completely removes the tactical aspect, making success completely dependent on athletic ability, whether that is something like agility, speed, or explosiveness. I’ve met some of the best athletes that I know through track and field, whether it be sprinters or jumpers or throwers.
What are you excited about pursuing in college?
I’m excited for all of it. Washington University suits my academic interests of studying biochemistry (and probably pursuing the pre-med track) and the athletic side of things. They have a very interdisciplinary focus as well; I would be able to pursue things like biochemistry and potentially a Humanities double major. It’s also a bigger school, which is what I was looking for. It checked all the boxes.
The track program there has been very successful in recent years, so I’m excited to go into a program that has already built a foundation and hopefully contribute to that. I’ve been talking to some of my teammates next year, and they all seem like great people. I’m excited to be on a team with them.
