Because of a shaky beginning at the first meet on Jan. 9 at the Missouri Invitational in Columbia, Mo., the indoor track and field season may have been a little slow off the starting blocks. However, the team is anticipated to pick up speed for a strong season.
“We have a lot of time to still improve and we just came back from a long break. We’re definitely going to do much better in the future,” freshman distance runner Will Herrington said.
Even so, the meet last Friday did include some promising performances.
“We had a couple school records and I think there will be more to come. We can only get better,” sophomore sprinter and hurdler Tiffany Alexander said.
Alexander did her part, running a personal, and school, record of 9.31 in the 60-meter hurdle preliminaries.
“The fastest I’ve ever run in my track career,” Alexander said.
Freshman Dahmar Smiles also turned in an eye-opening performance, running the 60-meter hurdles in a school record 8.51 and finishing ahead of all other freshmen in the competition.
The team has been training hard through fall to be prepared for this season. While there is a different training schedule relative to each athlete’s specific event, everyone lifts weights at least twice a week, watches film and runs, even up to fifteen miles.
“We prepare just like any other sport,” head track and field coach Jon Bell said.
All this training is done with a specific goal in mind. “To do better than last year,” Bell said, laughing.
More specifically, these goals may be in the form of an individual goal of setting a personal record.
“I’m looking for a season of personal bests. I’m hoping to continue to improve and continue to get faster,” Herrington said.
There are also goals Bell has for the team as a whole. “I do believe they could finish in the top eight [in the conference].”
While goals are good to keep in the back of one’s mind before a meet for motivation, other track and field members may carry different ideas as to how to remain composed before a meet. Most athletes have some form of ritual for mental preparation, whether it be pumping up with some loud music or eating a specific food.
“I always eat pineapples before a meet. I’ve done it for the past two seasons,” Alexander said.
Herrington, on the other hand, prefers to remain calm and simply listens to soothing music or reads a book.
With all the stress of playing a sport in college, the team members find fun stress relievers to do together to keep them sane. Herrington described a weekly ritual where many of the track and field members gather every Wednesday to go to Reinert Pancake Night after practice.
“We always want to see each other succeed,” Sara Fraley, a sophomore middle-distance runner, said.
Great support from the team is shown for the newest freshman members, who are showing a lot of promise in this upcoming season: Something new and exciting is brought to the table.
Fraley says that the team has much to look forward to this season, especially getting to know the new teammates.
The team next competes Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Saluki Booster Invitational in Carbondale, Ill.
