After his team finished last in its first-ever Atlantic 10 Championships last year, Head Track and Field Coach Jon Bell had his work ahead of him this year.

Before the Saint Louis University team competes in the A-10 Tournament this year, it will have one more opportunity to work out any kinks. The team will travel across the river to Edwardsville, Ill., today, to compete in the annual Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Twilight Open.

The event marks the culmination of a lot of hard work and preparation on the part of SLU coaches and players, Bell said.

“Emotionally and mentally, we’re ready to compete,” he said. “We’re excited for the last two weeks of the season.”

SLU will compete against teams such as Northern Illinois, Missouri University of Science and Technology and Fontbonne. The Billikens will compete in 25 of 40 events and claim the No. 1 seed in 11 of them.

Bell said that he considers the meet last weekend, the John McDonnell Invitational, and the SIUE meet as practice for the A-10 Tournament, which will be held in Amherst, Mass., on May 3.

Sophomore Maddie O’Quinn, a rising star on the women’s side, anchors SLU’s 4 x 800-meter relay and has consistently lowered her times this season.

“I feel pretty confident,” O’Quinn said. “Our coaches have been training us so that we peak at this point. Having more specific training and focusing more on track than cross country has helped me a lot with my speed.”

On the men’s side, junior Matt Alexander will not compete at the SIUE meet, as he will prepare instead for the tough competition that awaits him in the conference meet. Bell considers Alexander to be the undisputed team leader, although he is only a junior.

“He’s the perfect guy [who] does everything well,” Bell said. “He’s a double major in chemistry and economics, studying for the MCAT, never late for practice and doing all this while competing in every race.”

For Alexander, preparing for the conclusion of this season has been a flurry of weight and endurance training.

“I’ve regimented my work-outs in the off-season, working with coaches in specific areas and sticking to a pretty intense weight-training regimen,” Alexander said.

Both O’Quinn and Alexander said they appreciate Bell’s dedication to the team this season. Under the first-year coach for SLU, Alexander said that runners’ times have improved dramatically, the environment has changed and the runners have received special attention.

“Coach Bell has done an excellent job, bringing in several other coaches to work in specific areas,” O’Quinn said. “He’s trying as hard as he can to cater to each of our needs.”

The A-10 website projects SLU to finish last again in the conference meet this year, but Alexander, O’Quinn and Bell think otherwise.

“I think the biggest difference between last year and this year is that now we know where we fit in and what we have to do to get better,” Bell said. “We know there are certain events we will do very well in.”