The men and women's track teams will begin the indoor season Friday at Pocatello, Idaho in hopes to win, set records and overall improve as a team this season despite losing several athletes.
After a second place finish for the men’s track team and a fifth place finish for the women in indoor track last season, the teams are hopeful to win the conference championships this year, SUU track coach Eric Houle said.
Houle said the team lost athletes this season such as freshman distance runner Nate Jewkes, who left on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and alumnus David Sheeran, who ran distance.
Houle said the two runners were important athletes for both indoor and outdoor track season.
On the women’s team, Alayna Ferrin was on the team last year, but decided to focus her work as SUUSA Involvement Vice President, he said.
This season, senior Austin Hill, who has been with the team for three years, will be one of best athletes on the team, Houle said.
Hill ran a time of 45.2 seconds on the 4x400 meter relay team last year that was part of the win for conference championships.
Hill, who also runs the 400 and 200 meters, said he wants to qualify for nationals.
“Last year I missed (making nationals) by one meet,” he said.
Hill said he hopes with the number of teammates who made nationals last season will be doubled this year.
Other athletes including junior distance runner Cameron Levins, who ran a conference championship mile with a time of 4 minutes and 4 seconds and junior Shaka Richardson ran a time of 10.5 seconds in the 100-meter will be a great part of the team this season, he said.
Houle said the team may not win but will be “very competitive.”
“The point of it all is we’re going to be pretty tough anyway," he said.
The team is not going to put so much focus on running personal records this meet, but rather focus on principles of conditioning, Houle said.
For example, a runner whose event may be the 1600-meter might run an 800-meter the first meet and run a race above the 1600-meter at the next meet.
He said six men have had injuries while the women have remained healthy.
Houle said the injuries could hinder the performance of the men's team as a whole and he hopes that those injured will receive medical treatment so they can get back to working up to their full potential this season.
Senior Sharla Manuele said she hopes the women's team will do well with no injuries.
“(Injuries) really hurt our team,” Manuele said.
Houle also said one new athlete that joined the team is freshman hurdler Shaye Maurer from Cedar High School, who was named the top sprinter in the country.
“Everyone wanted her,” Houle said.
Twenty five team members qualified for the NCAA Regionals last year, but with 105 athletes total only 60 will get to travel, Houle said.
“(The players) have to have decent performances (to travel),” Houle said. Other athletes that will be a great help to the women’s team this year are senior Sharla Manuele who was a regional qualifier last year and wants to run a 5k in 16 minutes and junior Christina Day, who is shooting for a 51 second 400-meter race.
Houle said SUU has the best athletes.
“It’s bold to say, but (it is) how I feel,” he said.
Manuele said her goal this season is to improve her times and make it to nationals.
She said she hopes for fast times and that she plans to hit practice every day with a positive attitude so she can reach her goal.
Senior thrower Carlos Valle's events are the shot put and weight throw in indoor track and discus, shot put and hammer in outdoor track.
Valle said he wants to win the shot put in indoor and outdoor, set records for shot put for both indoor and outdoor, improve his discus school record of 184 feet and reach the NCAA national championships this year.
He said he hopes the team will train hard and stay healthy.
Valle said the team is not a big indoor team but more of an outdoor team.
The team lost by over 100 points in indoor two years ago while the team won by a couple points in outdoor track, he said.
Valle said the team needs to stay on top.
He said SUU is a smaller school and can give off the impression that not much can be expected, but the team needs to know that “they can do it.”
"The only thing keeping you from your goal is yourself,” Valle said.
He said it is important to have fun and enjoy doing track.
Valle said pressure tends to get to athletes too much.
“We can do anything, “he said. “Just work hard and keep a goal in mind.”
Valle said when he began his track career in college people expected for him to do "ok," but he didn't settle for just ok.
“(You) don’t want to settle for being ok,” he said.
He said he didn’t worry about what people said, but stayed focused on his personal goals.
He said he has been able to show others that he can become better than what was first expected of him at the start of his career.
Events for the Idaho State Bengal Shootout are set to begin at 5 p.m. inside the Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho.
Be the first to comment on this article!