By Sam Bernardi for The Montgomery News | Posted May 20, 2026
By focusing on a "1% better every day mentality," Senior Muinat Tijani has become an intregral part of Montgomery High School's Track & Field team. She recently helped her team place third in the discus relay and fifth in the shot put relay at the Somerset County Relay Championship.
Through Montgomery High School’s program, and her older sister Raliat’s influence, Tijani has learned what it takes to be a competitor.
Born in Nigeria, Tijani says she arrived in the United States as an infant. She joined the MHS track & field team her sophomore year. “It definitely helped with my work ethic,” she says. “I feel I started [working harder] in other parts of my life too. I needed to be better and put in more effort.”
Motivation can be tricky to find, particularly after a long week of school. But, Tijani has found some of her best friends in track & field and has no intention of letting down her teammates.
“Moments where I can laugh and be with my friends and go to the banquets, it’s all worth it at the end,” she says.
Tijani is the thrower captain for the Cougar girls. Her journey has been marked by steady growth, highlighted by a 31-foot personal-best shot put this past winter.
Coach Tim Bartholomew said, “She continually worked hard and continued to get better each year. So, now she’s at a point where she’s a main factor on our team.”
Tijani leads silently, doing her work diligently and meticulously, always focusing on that 1% better every day mentality.
When she is not developing her throwing skills, she likes going to the gym and spending time with her family, especially their goldendoodle, Tega, whose Nigerian name translates to “God is worthy to be worshipped.”
“I used to think the gym was like torture,” Tijani said. “It was a punishment. Then Raliat [her sister] kept pressing me to try it. I did, and I’m like, ‘Okay, it wasn’t terrible.’”
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Raliat has served as Tijani’s role model in many areas: skin care products, wardrobe choices, driving, schoolwork, and, what it takes to be an athlete.
She is also inspired by the track & field team. She says, “I always admire the message they have, ‘Let’s get better today.’”
“I not only applied it to track, but I applied it to my life and everything I do. Even if I may not be the best, I’m happy that I just show progress.”
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One of the memorable parts of Tijani’s MHS experience has been Coach B’s stickers. Small in stature yet large in meaning, they include words of encouragement such as “I love throwing,” or “Make today so awesome that yesterday gets jealous,” or “Believe in yourself, stay true, thrive.”
“Even though it’s a little sticker, the message went a long way,” she says.
Tijani is headed to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in August.
