USU men’s track
& field schedule has changed to create a better competition
By Weslie Hatch
USU's track &
field head coach, Gregg Gensel, tweaked the spring schedule with hopes to make
a better competition for the athletes.
Last year the
track & field team only took the throwers and the distance runners to
Irvine, Calif., for one of the team’s competitions in March.
According to
Gensel, the reason he made the switch was because in the past if the sprinters
and jumpers had gone they would have done two weekends of big competitions in a
row. He said changing the schedule will help the team better prepare for future
competitions where the whole team can attend.
The track &
field team is in its winter indoor season, which started in Oct and will end in
March, while preparing for the outdoor spring season that will run until June.
“We’re trying to
make the competition more quality,” Gensel said.
Each season the
team builds upon each cycle of practice to prepare for the next season. Gensel
said a lot of what the coaches do prepares the each athlete for the meets.
“I think having
the whole team go down to Irvine will be a great experience,” said Devin
Wright, a junior thrower. “If the entire team is there cheering for each other
it makes it that much easier for the competitor to reach their potential.”
Wright said
track is interesting because it is both an individual and a team sport and its
unique dynamic makes it enjoyable.
“This is the first year I know of that the
whole team will be going to the meet in UCLA,” Wright said. “Being able to face
high-level competition at each meet will help us be prepared both mentally and
physically to perform well at conference.”
Wright said he
thinks going to meets like UCLA and Irvine and watching tough competition will
motivate the athletes to work for better marks and times. He said the
combination of seeing quality competition early on and being pushed to improve
will only result in an overall stronger team performance come time for the conference.
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