In their first official season as a Division 1 sport, the Saint Louis University men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams competed in their first meet of the new year (just their second meet ever) at the Missouri Invitational in Columbia, Mo., on Jan. 12.
On the women’s side, sophomore Mary Maloney and freshman Bridgett Schutzman were the only ones to make the podium, leading the team with third-place finishes in the 3,000-meter run and 800-meter run, respectively. Malone clocked in at 10:27.05 in the 3,000-meter, while Schutzman finished at 2:20.13 in the 800-meter.
“I was really impressed with how Mary and Bridgett performed,” coach Mike Nelson said. “Both worked hard in training over Christmas break and it showed in their racing. They represented SLU well.”
In addition to Maloney, other SLU runners also recorded top-10 finishes in the 3,000-meter run. Junior Laura Coyer finished fifth with a time of 10:43.84; Laura Hamilton was eighth, finishing at 10:56.67; and Shannon Bixler clocked in just behind Hamilton in ninth.
Freshman Maddie O’Quinn finished seventh in the 600-yard run at 1:33.82. Coyer also recorded a top-10 finish in the one mile, covering the distance in 5:26.81. With only one day of organized practice before the meet, Nelson said it was difficult for runners to motivate themselves to train with the same intensity they have under normal team practice conditions.
“Most athletes will train harder with teammates around, and, after a week of hard training and races, just about everyone should knock their times down quite a bit from previous races,” Nelson said.
On the men’s side, freshman John Woodman had the best finish for the Billikens with an eighth-place finish in the 1,000-meter run at 2:49.63.
Sophomore Michael Hubbard finished closely behind Woodman with a time of 2:58.76, earning him ninth place. Woodman said it was hard to stay on top of training over the break but that there is room for improvement.
“In terms of improving, we’ll improve by training together and continuing to push each other as teammates,” Woodman said.
Senior Lucas Roethlisberger ran the 800-meter in 2:02.73, grasping a 10th place finish.
Additionally, sophomore Matt McKenney and senior Paul Lemon finished in the top 15 in the 3,000-meter run. Nelson said he thought the best running performance for SLU was David Whelan, who recorded a 51.98 in the 400-meter run, considering the competitive race.
At this point, the most important thing for the up-and-coming track teams is experience and knowledge of racing, according to Nelson.
“We’re brand-new to indoor track, and [at] each meet, they gain knowledge and race savvy, which usually translates into better times,” Nelson said.
