Bernell DorroughAfter the cancellation of the Bears’ first outdoor track and field meet, the WU Mini Meet, due to inclement weather, the athletes were disappointed, but did not let the gloomy weather dampen their spirits.
“It was kind of disappointing because we were all ready to compete,” said senior captain Kammie Holt, “But at the same time, it makes us more excited for the next meet.”
Senior Lindsey Clark-Ryan expressed similar sentiments.
The meet is usually a pretty small to get the outdoor season started,” Clark-Ryan said. “Not everyone competes. It’s more of a warm-up meet. People weren’t super-bummed, but it would have been nice to have a warm-up to the outdoor season in our own backyard.”
Practices went as usual this week as the athletes prepare for the Washington University Invitational which will take place this Saturday at Francis Field.
“We’re still in a high intensity phase,” said Clark-Ryan. “We’re not tapering off and we’re not trying to save ourselves because we’re just starting outdoor season.”
The athletes have been switching gears from a focus on indoor events to a new concentration on outdoor events.
“It’s still early in the outdoor season so we’re having general practice, but at the same time people are beginning to practice strictly to prepare for their events,” said Holt. “We’ve been doing this since the end of indoor season so it’s not a big change.”
New events are added and events are changed as the outdoor season begins. The 400m hurdles, steeplechase, and javelin are added. In place of the 55m dash and hurdles, women compete in the 100m dash and 100m hurdles while men compete in the 100m dash and 110m hurdles. Additionally, instead of the weight throw, athletes throw the hammer.
The athletes enjoy the change of scenery.
“This time of year is it’s starting to warm up and it’s nice to get outside,” said Clark-Ryan
The Bears anticipate an exciting and challenging weekend of competition.
“It’s our first big outdoor meet so it’s usually a pretty big meet and pretty insane,” Clark-Ryan said. “I’d say we’ll see a pretty good range of competition.”
“There will be a lot of schools at the Invitational so it’s going to be up there competition-wise,” said Holt. “I don’t think anybody’s going to be able to just walk away with a win.”
Looking towards the future of the season, the Bears have set high goals that they expect to reach.
“The main goal for both women’s and men’s teams is to win the conference championship so that’s really what we’re gearing towards and training towards,” said Holt.
“In terms of the conference meet April 24-25, the women are hoping to win their 10th consecutive conference meet in a row, indoor and out,” said Clark-Ryan. “The men came in a close 2nd to Emory at the indoor meet this season. They were the outdoor champs last year and they’re looking to repeat that. We have a lot going for us and everyone is really excited to go after [our goals].”
With respect to Nationals, the Bears maintain their optimism.
“In terms of individual and team, we had a ton of people qualify for indoor nationals who were really close to getting in but who didn’t quite make it” Clark-Ryan said. “A lot of people were really borderline. With the increased number of people they admit outdoor, we really think we can get a lot of people into nationals. That’s definitely a big goal for the team – to get a good number of people in and see how high we can place as a team and as individuals.”
Holt believes that the strength of the team will help them to accomplish their season goals.
“I know, just watching everyone compete indoors, that there have been some major improvement this year,” Holt said. “I think we should get more people there than we did last year.”
As a senior, Holt expresses her gratitude to her teammates and her excitement about finishing her college career on a strong note.
“I’d like to thank all of my teammates for four wonderful years and I look forward to the upcoming season!”