May 25, 2009 (Final Entry)
It’s hard to believe, but the track season of 2009 is over and it’s easy to tell if you have been following results and the blog, that it has been an amazing year. This past weekend was the final meet - NAIA nationals at the SIUE campus near St. Louis. Nationals is always an amazing time for the team because of the good memories from being together and the great competition. It was a three-day meet, starting Thursday with preliminary races, in which we had a competitor (male or female) in almost every event of the day! Needless to say, it was an exciting, but hot, day at the track. Since it is a smaller group that goes to nationals, I will take time to reflect on some specific meet highlights.
But before I begin with the meet, let me go back to May term and our trip to St. Louis. May term is always a great time, at least for me, because it means nothing but training, hanging out with the team, and eating great food. In my opinion, it doesn’t get much better than that. The girls cooked meals in the Printy kitchen with the help of the guys and we enjoyed a cookout at the King’s Monday night. There were games and movies going on nearly every night and a lot of sleeping-in each morning. A few, unfortunate souls had to take May term classes, but they survived.
We left for St. Louis Tuesday morning and ate lunch on the road and drove straight to the track at Ralph Korte Stadium - the second year for NAIA’s to be held at this facility. When we stepped off the bus, it was in the 80’s and extremely humid, so we knew that hydrating and staying out of the sun would be important for the next five days. We stayed at the amazing Hyatt Regency Riverfront with all of the other NAIA athletes and parents and had fun battling the confusion of the 20+ floors, hectic elevator traffic, broken ice machines, and 38 boxes of cereal and snacks in Coach’s room. Wednesday was our site-seeing day and after a morning workout, the team went to the St. Louis Zoo. Saturday we went up in the Arch.
Thursday, competition began. Lydia and Rachel Wong ran the 1,500 and Lydia moved on to run the finals set for Saturday. Despite the insane heat that scorched us all three days, it was amazing to watch our athletes rise to the occasion and prepare themselves for the weather. Bethany Davies made it to the semifinals of the 400 along with Alexa Winik in the 200 and Elisabeth Pyles in the steeplechase. Nicole Santos ran her first of three races Thursday night and she placed third in a grueling 10K race. She went on to run the first round of the 5K Friday night with Brittany Simpson and placed fourth in the finals on Saturday. Nicole had a very notable weekend and her strength and stamina over those three days is a testimony to the Lord.
The semifinals and finals were held over Friday and Saturday. Among other final placer finishers were Bethany Davies eighth in the 400, Lydia Wong second in the 1,500; Courtnie Merritt second in the high jump, Elisabeth Pyles eighth in the steeplechase, and Brittany Simpson 11th in the 5K. It was amazing to watch each girl do what she needed to in order to run her race on that given day. The distance girls had to deal with staying hydrated during their races. Courtnie Merritt placed second with a jump of 5-7 with fewer misses than others, and because of the encouragement of her teammates she felt the adrenaline despite the isolation of the high jump area.
I had the chance to run my last 400 in college competition on Friday night with the 4 x 400 relay. Three freshmen (Kelsey Watkins, Katie Lanphier, and Rachel Wong) and I ran under the lights in the final heat of the day and I think we can all say that we had fun. Our time wasn’t stellar, but I was certainly thankful to run one final nationals race - or college track race for that matter. God can use a team regardless of their place or performance to still reach out to other teams and be a witness, and we definitely got a taste of that even though we didn’t advance to the finals.
The end of a four-year track career came for many of the seniors and it was very bittersweet. Actually, probably more bitter than sweet. Despite the outcome of the races, I know a lot of tears were shed because of the emotion behind the conclusion to four, very full years. A lot of time was spent reflecting on the past years, but a lot of memories were collected from this nationals, from seniors down to freshmen.
I am so proud of all of the girls - those who competed at nationals and those who ran faithfully throughout the season and left before May term. It has been a privilege to write this blog and share a little about the inner-workings of the CU women's track team, but it has been an even greater honor to be amongst such a great team of guys and girls and run under the coaches for four years. God has blessed us immensely and it is so evident in the unity and excitement of our team. Thank you to all my teammates and coaches - track is truly what made the past four years amazing.
May 11, 2009
This past weekend was the last chance qualifier meet held here at home. This is the final meet where those who stayed for the extra week get the chance to qualify for nationals if they have not yet. In addition to Friday's meet, a group went to Tiffin last Tuesday for a "second-to-last chance" meet.
Both were smaller, laid-back meets, but a lot of great things happened. Despite the small field, the competition was good and the adrenaline high because we had a surprising amount of "last minute" qualifiers. The guys had a number, but the girls had Carolyn Cann in the 400 meter hurdles and Kelsey Watkins in the 100 meter hurdles. It is always exciting to pick up a few more qualifiers to travel to nationals with us.
Sticking around at school for track May term can easily be agreed upon as the greatest weeks of the school year for many. No classes or the schedule of school. Nothing but training, hanging out with the team, and, of course, eating. All of the girls get moved into adjoining units in Printy and we get to make home-cooked meals in the kitchen. The girls, of course, do most of the cooking, but eating and hanging out with the team is a blast and it's been a lot of fun, just ask anyone.
Now we have two weeks of training and preparation here at school before we leave for St. Louis to compete at NAIA's on May 21-23!
May 4, 2009
This past weekend was NCCAA Nationals held at Indiana Wesleyan. The first day was wet, to say the least, but it cleared out for a great day of finals on Saturday. All the girls performed well, so check out the results to see for yourself.
NCCAA's is always a difficult meet for a few reasons: (1) The competition is tough, and we were up against Malone again after having been edged out by them at the AMC. (2) All of our athletes are coming off of their last week of school and a pretty intense week of finals. (3) It is graduation weekend, so the seniors had to make a choice about whether to walk at graduation or to run in the meet.
This decision has to be made every year because the NCCAA Championships fall on the same weekend as the CU graduation, so many of us decided long ago to run in the meet, especially when we have finals and prelims that span the two days. Needless to say, it was well worth it to attend the meet and spend time with the team and seniors.
Now we are officially done with school and many have gone home, but some have stayed and moved into Lawlor and Printy to start our May term training that prepares us for one last home meet (this weekend) and NAIA Nationals at the end of the month. Our season is not over, so keep watching results and following the team as more great things are expected to happen!
April 27, 2009
This past weekend there was no meet, so a lot of people have been able to train through this past week and weekend and into this week leading up to NCCAA Nationals on May 1-2. Having the weekend off was nice, especially with such warm weather to be able to run outside and, of course, prepare for this coming week of finals. Check out the results next weekend as we travel to Indiana Wesleyan for NCCAA's.
April 20, 2009
We traveled to Rochester, New York this past weekend for our two-day American Mideast Conference meet at Roberts Wesleyan. Both the men’s and women’s teams expected a tough weekend of competition. The women have won the AMC the past two years and the men have not won since 2001. This year ended up differently for both. The women finished in a close second to Malone and the men’s team won the title.
It was a very exciting meet for both. The relays always seem the most thrilling, and it's so inspiring to see every relay member do his/her part to score, but the individual events had some amazing performances.
I am so impressed with how hard all the girls pushed themselves. Many ran two, three, four, even six events if you are Bethany Davies, which is probably why she won Female Athlete of the Meet!
Many were sick, yet still ran to contribute what they could to the team. I was so thankful to finally compete after being out for so many meets due to illness. With all the good races and events, it's easy to see that every girl gave all she had on that particular day, which is the most we can ask for. Malone just happened to come out on top this time.
Some of the other highlights of the trip besides enjoying good weather and great competition would probably be seeing parents that traveled from New York, Pennsylvania, and Maine, sleeping in, and eating at the Hard Rock Café at Niagara Falls on the trip home. We have this coming weekend off, so we are training through the next two weeks leading up to NCCAA Nationals on May 2. Be ready to get more great results from that meet!
April 13, 2009
It's hard to believe that the team is in it's fourth week of outdoor competition with only two meets remaining for the majority of the team. This weekend, the team split between Miami (Ohio) University and the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tenn.
It’s worth noting at Sea Ray, Nicole Santos ran a school and personal record in the 5,000 meters of 17:10.61 to place 2nd overall. Lydia and Rachel Wong both ran the 1,500 meters in 4:33 and 4:46, respectively. Bethany Davies also ran a good 800 meter race, probably not to her expectation, but another race under her belt will only help in the long run. The Sea Ray Relays is a prestigious meet with big time competition, so to see our athletes names on the results list is an amazing feat.
I think it is also worth mentioning our thrower, Sarah Hannay, who produced a school record-setting throw a few weekends ago. What is amazing about what Sarah has accomplished with her throw of 39-feet 5-inches is, not only is it a school record, but also a personal record by four feet! Over the course of the season, despite a hand/wrist injury, Sarah has improved her shot put by a tremendous four-foot gap. Amazing.
For those who traveled to Miami, it's safe to say that everyone was thankful that history did not repeat itself. There are a few truly miserable meets that stand out in everyone's minds in terms of bad weather, and Miami University two years ago is one of them.
I distinctly remember stepping outside from the shelter where we had all gathered, about 20 minutes before my race to try to "warm up." Not easy when it is 40 degrees, raining, windy, and you are chilled to the bone. As I was getting into the blocks in my outer lane that had become a shallow lake all the way around, the hail started coming down. No surprise, but the race did not go well, but fortunately the only ones around were our coaches, the starter, a few, brave competitors, and our photographer - thankfully those pictures never surfaced.
Anyway, I think the weather and conditions at Miami were much more bearable this year, so go check out the results. This weekend we travel for our two-day conference meet at Roberts Wesleyan in Rochester, N.Y., which the women have a good shot at, so be watching for great results.
April 6, 2009
This week was another off-week for me due to my ongoing illness, so it has been hard since I did not travel with the team or see them much at practice. But, as usual, I will suggest that you check out the results online. It is not hard to see how amazing our girls are doing. Bethany Davies continues to drop her 400 meter record to now be ranked 2nd in the NAIA and she qualified for NAIA's in the 400 meter hurdles. All of our other girls are running so well! We had a lot run the 400 meter hurdles, which is arguably the hardest race in track and field. The Wong (Lydia and Rachel) sisters both qualified for NAIA's in the 1,500 meters and Elisabeth Pyles in the steeplechase.
Since results are the visible by-product of our training and countless hours put into track and field, I will try to tell a little more about what we learn in the process and what goes on "behind the scenes."
God does not cease to use every situation to teach us something, although we don't always know what that is. What I do know is that God provides accordingly and in the time we need it. I am in my fourth and final year of running track for Cedarville, and with that comes so many hopes and expectations for the season. But, God does everything perfectly, and often changes "our plans." Being sick and missing so many days of training and meets was certainly not what I ever would have hoped for, and, as discouraging as it has been, God does not abandon us.
I'm sure Chelsea Gruet did not hope for a fractured back, nor Meagan Carns a twice-broken foot, or any of the other countless injuries and illnesses the girls have seen. But, I cannot begin to describe enough how amazing our team is. The coaches and my teammates have been the biggest encouragement anyone could ask for. This group has truly become a family and represents what it means to be the family of Christ. I am so thankful for this season, even though it has turned into something far different than I ever anticipated.
For those who have the patience to read this blog, I want to first of all thank you. Many of you are probably friends and family members of the girls on the team and I want to say thank you for supporting your children in athletics. The "games do count" and running track has taught us all so many life lessons. And secondly, I want to ask you to keep praying for our guys and girls. There are many injuries and illnesses, but we are also students. It is difficult and I applaud every student-athlete who finds the balance. Check out the results for this weekend (Easter) when our teams go to Miami University and the Sea-Ray relays.
March 30, 2009
This past weekend was not as bad, weather-wise as could be expected for a Cedarville home track meet, but I, unfortunately, was not a part of our meet. Due to an illness that lasted over a week, I wound up in urgent care on Saturday. I had no intention of competing, but in my efforts to go out and support our team, I found myself growing worse. So, in light of my illness, here is Tara Leaman's take on this week's competition:
Preparation. Preparation is a concept that Coach Bo tries to instill in his athletes. At the meet this past Saturday the team faced mental preparation, physical preparation, and weather preparation. In the past six years, this meet has always been cold, rainy, and snowy and not forgetting the side dish of lightning and thunder. To take a step back, let it be known that Coach Bo usually doesn't pray for weather...but this time it was an exception. The Lord seemed to answer his prayers and the weather was excellent compared to the previous years. I believe there were a few minutes of a light drizzle and that was it! The temperature wasn't amazing, but it was not close to freezing. As an athlete, we need to prepare for all situations.
My track bag probably weighed 25 pounds. It was filled with warm clothes, extra clothes and shoes, and another winter coat...we never know how the weather will be.
Dealing with mental toughness should be a course in and of itself in sports psychology. Everything begins and ends with the brain. Whether it is competing in five races like Kelsey Watkins did or running an excellently paced 5,000 meters all alone (meaning no one was close to her in the race) like Brit Simpson did. These two girls specifically came to compete.
I remember watching Kelsey in the 400 meter hurdles with 25 meters left kick to pass the girl in front of her...that is a competitive spirit along with being mentally and physically tough. I am a thrower and I do not run distance or understand how these amazing girls run like they do, but I have heard from experienced runners that to race against yourself is tough because there is no one "you can go with." Brit did a great job in keeping her pace and even running faster than her goal was! This is another example of mental and physical toughness that is necessary to be a track and field athlete.
I believe our girls showed up to compete at this meet. The competition was not too steep, but the fact that our girls had great throws, jumps, and times shows that we were prepared for anything that could come up at this meet. I was very excited to see Sarah Hannay throw a school record in the shot put. She was so excited she couldn't sit still. Physical preparation is vital and it showed for Sarah this meet.
This meet also showed some true color of what our girls are made of. After coming back from Georgia's weather and sun tans (I mean burns?) I was nervous to see how the girls would compete in the opposite weather condition. It showed that we can compete in both hot and cold weather! I am looking forward to the meet on Saturday at Cincinnati. Great stadium and environment to compete in and another opportunity to be lights for Christ.
Personally, I would like to thank the grounds crew for setting up, Matt Franz in setting up a lot of the technical stuff along with the computer tech staff, Jimmy Sawin for announcing the meet, all the folks who helped out at the meet (before and after) and for Coach Bolender for all the time he devotes to his team.
March 23, 2009
Thursday morning, 6:45 am, the sun isn't up, but the entire men's and women's track and field teams are loading the buses for a 550-mile one-way trip to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of us were fortunate enough to ride in a van which was more spacious and comfortable and definitely a fun time with Coach Bo as your driver and team photographer, Matt Franz, as the navigator.
Despite the 10 hours on the road, doubling up on seats on the charter bus, any one of our athletes would tell you that this trip was well worth it. Competing in Atlanta in 60 and 70-degree weather for our first outdoor meet is the best thing any of us could ask for. Conditions were ideal, and many of the women ran to match the conditions. There were some amazing races despite the long travels and other factors that could potentially affect the competition.
The meet was Friday and Saturday, but we took Thursday to get rested up and do a little sight-seeing. We visited Stone Mountain, which I would recommend to anyone. It's hard to look at the awesome natural wonders and not consider the greatness of our God. We enjoyed spending time in the fresh air and sun, seeing the mountain, and getting quality time together as a team.
Ultimately, the team came in second to Murray State by only one point. Going into the final relay we were down by three points and even with our first-place finish, we came up just short. Regardless of the final result, everyone ran well and it was a great opening meet. This week we will compete at home, so come out and support our teams, but don't expect the Georgia weather - so bring warm clothes and an umbrella!
March 16, 2009
This week marks the completion of the first week of training for outdoor track. As quickly as the indoor season went, the outdoor season couldn't come fast enough, because for many, this is where the best of our track season reveals itself.
The team trained hard this past week since there was no meet this weekend, and now we are going into a four-day week of training to begin with our first outdoor meet at Emory University on Friday and Saturday. The team is traveling 10 hours by charter bus to Atlanta and we are excited to run our first outdoor meet in the beautiful south.
March 9, 2009
Indoor track has officially come to a close with the NAIA National Championship held this past weekend and it's hard for me to sum up all the memorable, record-setting things that happened for the team that traveled to Johnson City, Tenn. In order to really make it worth your time, I would recommend checking out the results either on the Cedarville or the NAIA website.
There are so many great things worth mentioning, but I think it would be impossible to not share the event that made Cedarville track and field history: Nicole Santos in the 5,000 meters. Nicole won the 5K to become the fourth athlete in Cedarville history to place 1st at NAIA Indoor Nationals. It is especially close to my heart to see Nicole accomplish this feat because of the four years we have shared on the team. In talking to her, she would never tell you what an amazing athlete she is or take any credit for herself. All the glory goes to the Lord and it has been incredible to watch Nicole run the 5K for 4 years and make it to this point!
It is obvious to say that the Lord has blessed our team immensely, but not only with the successes on the national level, but in many other ways that are apparent day to day in the way our team interacts and uplifts each other. Keep watching results as we move in to our outdoor season!
March 2, 2009
Even though it is spring break, some of the track team will be heading to Johnson City, Tennessee on Wednesday for NAIA Indoor Nationals. Many of the athletes have been building to this meet through indoor and a lot is anticipated to happen here!
I think it is especially worth mentioning our race walkers. The race walk is an often misunderstood and overlooked race and our team has been taken by surprise at the immensity of the accomplishment of our race walkers. Although we do not have any female race walkers, our men have taken the NAIA by storm. Be sure to check out the results on all our athletes for this three-day meet!
As for the rest of the team, many took off to enjoy spring break with friends and family. The three to four weeks of transition in between the indoor and outdoor season is a time to recover and then get back into hard training for outdoor.
We are looking forward to our first outdoor meet in sunny Atlanta, Georgia on March 21st. To be able to run our first outdoor meet in - almost guaranteed - fabulous weather definitely makes it one of the best trips of the year.
Feb. 23, 2009
I understand that saying each week was a "great week" of competition is cliche and overstated, but to say that this week would be an understatement. I would like to hear someone say that track is not a team sport after watching the NCCAA meet this weekend. NCCAA's, otherwise known as Christian nationals, is a unique meet for our team because we go into it with the intention of winning it as a team. I have had the privilege of being on the women's team that has won the NCCAA championship title for the past 4 years. Sometimes our past success is the biggest challenge to live up to. But the women's team did not come short to complete the four year sweep this past weekend.
Preparation for NCCAA's was unlike any other meet because this is the big and final meet of indoor season for most of our athletes (the only remaining indoor meet is NAIA Nationals). That means we got somewhat of a taper on workouts leading up to Saturday. So, needless to say, we knew this was a big meet coming up, but Coach also reminded us that doing our best on that day was the most we could do.
Something we have all had to learn after running track for years is that track is relative to that day. Once you step up to the line, all the preparation and training you have done cannot be changed (along with weather), and you can only run, throw, or jump as well as you can give in that moment. All other qualms, aches, pains, etc. can be put aside for those few short moments. We were not trying to accomplish super-human feats because we didn't need to. Each person ran her race and placed as high as she could to get the team points. We watched some of our teammates push themselves to the max to get even one point for the team.
The women's team won the championship by only a few points, but it didn't stop there. Some other highlights of the meet/week included: live streaming of the meet on the internet, having tons of family and friends come to the meet in support, and the food drive. The food drive was done to support the local Food Pantry in Cedarville and we asked each team to bring items for the Food Pantry. It was a big success and it is exciting to see how the Food Pantry will be able to serve more families of our community.
I am so honored and proud to say that I am and have been a part of the CU track and field team, for so many reasons other than the victories we have won. God has blessed our team beyond athletics and I know each one of us has learned so much through track and our teammates. Thanks for supporting us this past weekend!
Feb. 16, 2009
Last Friday evening the teams competed at the University of Findlay and once again it was a great meet. Even though this meet was smaller and less competitive, we still had a lot of personal records and nationals' qualifications.
This past weekend was the last chance to qualify for the NCCAA national meet which is this coming weekend at home. It's hard to believe that there are only the two national meets remaining for the indoor season.
Some highlights of the weekend included a short bus trip, watching the exciting elite shot put competition, watching some of our track alumni compete, finishing ahead of schedule, and, of course, watching our teammates have some great races!
All in all, it was another successful meet and the team is getting geared up for this weekend's National Christian College Athletic Association meet at Cedarville. So, be watching the results or better yet, come out if possible to watch our last indoor meet!
Feb. 9, 2009
This weekend's meet at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana was an 11-team meet with a lot of good competition. Indoor track can take its toll on the body after a few meets because of the tight turns and hard surface, so quite a few of our team stayed behind this weekend to take a week off rather than travel.
But, for those who went, we squeezed onto one charter bus and headed west on Friday for our evening meet. The competition was surprisingly tough and deep and with so many athletes and heats, we did not get back to Cedarville until 2:30 a.m! But, as you may be able to tell from the results, it was a great meet with some personal bests, broken school records, and national qualifications.
But the craziness did not stop after our Friday meet. Coach and many others worked hard all week preparing to host our second home high school meet on Saturday. Our team gets the opportunity to run two indoor meets as a "pre-season tune-up" for high schools, so everyone from both the men's and women's teams put a lot of time in on Saturday to see that it ran smoothly.
It is crazy to think about, but we are down to only one meet remaining, followed by the NCCAA Championships and then NAIA National Championships. So, our indoor season is quickly winding down, but great things are still expected to happen, so keep following the results!
Feb. 2, 2009
Another exciting meet for the men's and women's teams this past weekend! Running at Indiana University is always one of the highlights of the season because of the competition and atmosphere. The track at IU is an old, wooden, banked-corner, 200-meter track that is known to see some of the fastest indoor times.
The whole team did not get to go, so it was hard competing without everyone present, but watching some of the women run against such tough competition was amazing. Early in the week we received the schedule and performance list, but at the last minute we got word that some members of our team were moved up to the "invitational" sections of some races, meaning they would be running against the top athletes in that event, even some professionals. Needless to say, that was huge and everyone did so well for such a big meet.
Even for me, going for a fourth time to IU, I still get a little overwhelmed and intimidated, but it was amazing to see some of the freshmen and underclassmen perform so well in a new setting.
For those who stayed behind, it was a chance to look at this as a weekend off and a stretch of two weeks to train harder without having to break up workouts for a weekend meet. The downside of having meets every weekend means we generally run hard Monday through Wednesday and then have to take it easy a day or two prior to competition.
The Lord watched over those who stayed as well as those who traveled and He did some amazing things both at home and away at IU. It never ceases to amaze me how God opens up doors at track meets to minister to fellow athletes. We missed those who were out with injuries and Tara Leaman who headed to California for her brother's wedding.
And be sure to check out the results of the meet!
Jan. 26, 2009
The second week of competition was awesome for the whole team as we traveled on Saturday to and from Indiana Wesleyan to compete, even though it was a non-scoring meet for the team as a whole. There were a lot of personal records, broken school records, NAIA qualifications, and more. But, if you want to know all of the specifics, I think it would definitely be worth your time to check out the results.
The women's team started Bible study this week and already it has been amazing to see the everyone grow and share with each other. One of the biggest challenges this season has been to see some of our teammates deal with injuries and either compete with them or have to sit out to recover.
Meagan Carns is out with a broken foot, Chelsea Gruett is dealing with a pre-stress fracture in her back, and several others are dealing with shin splints and other minor injuries. But, seeing how God uses these trials to teach specific lessons is encouraging.
This is the main point that Coach is always driving home to us - track isn't life, but what God teaches us about life through track is what matters in the long run. No pun intended.
This coming weekend we will be traveling to Indiana University in Bloomington for a two-day meet of high-level competition. So, I would recommend checking out how the team does at such an anticipated meet!
Jan. 19, 2009
The first meet of the season is under our belts with only three and a half months of competition remaining! The season opener was definitely a step in the right direction for the women's team. It was a new experience for the freshmen, the beginning of a new season for the sophomores and juniors, and the start of the last season for the seniors.
To some, this meet was a very overwhelming experience because of the newness of it. To others it was the "warm-up" to get back into a season of competition. And, to some, a bit of a disappointment.
It is hard to report on the entire women's track team because we are made up of 28 women who compete in a wide range of events. So, when it comes to summarizing the overall feeling of the meet, it is difficult, especially because many consider track an "individual" sport. One of my goals for this blog is to show you the other side of that and hopefully by reading this over the course of the season, you may think otherwise.
But, the meet at home this past Friday can be summed up as a great start to the season. The women won first place overall in the meet, thanks to a lot of outstanding performances by many.
The preparation leading up to the meet was our usual week with speed workouts, lifting, and a pre-meet day on Thursday. The freshmen had some first-time experiences running at a college indoor meet and I think they learned a lot. I was especially encouraged to see how they handled the pressure, the nerves, and the newness of their first indoor collegiate meet.
For field events we had three freshmen take first, second and third in the high jump. The high jump is an area that has been lacking depth for the women’s team so to have several talented jumpers this year is very encouraging. Courtnie Merritt, who has been battling a year-long recovery process from an accident, has shown an amazing rebound and took first place with 5-2 followed by Carolyn Cann, Sarah Grenier, Heather Wuobio, and Amanda Smith. Bethany Davies had a strong 600 meter race and met an NAIA automatic qualifying mark to send her to Johnson City, Tenn. in March for indoor nationals.
The women's team has always been very strong in middle and long distances, but it is a blessing to have new teammates that fill in the areas like high jump along with the sprints and hurdles. Not to make predictions this early in the year, but I am guessing the season is not going to be a disappointment compared to the strength of past years despite the loss of some amazing athletes. Competing at home with so many familiar faces around can be a mix of encouragement and pressure, but I know the team had a great start to the season thanks to so many family, friends, and old teammates coming out to support. Thanks to everyone who came to our first meet!
Jan. 12, 2009
The CU women's track and field team will begin its season this Friday, January 16th with the season opening indoor meet at home. Opening at home is typically how both teams have always started off the season and it is always nice to compete in our first meet on our home track with a lot of support surrounding us.
The team is complete now that the cross country season is over and the distance team has joined the rest of the track team. Christmas break was a very crucial time for all of the athletes. With a full semester of training beneath us from the fall, the four weeks of independent Christmas break training will determine a lot about what will happen this coming weekend as the season begins. We were given specific workouts and guidelines to follow over break, but everyone faced the challenge of training on her own and with limited facilities.
This coming weekend holds a lot of anticipation for the entire team. Those who have been running for Cedarville for a few years always wonder how the season will begin and how times will compare with past seasons. For the freshmen and new athletes, it can be a huge adjustment to run indoor and begin the track season so early. So, we are looking forward to seeing how everyone performs this coming weekend at home!
Marla Rice is a senior biology major from Wellsboro, Pa. She is a four-year sprinter with the Lady Jackets, who has been an NCCAA champion as well as an NAIA All-American.
