Members of the women’s indoor track team will have one last chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships this weekend when they compete in this weekend’s Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships in New York City.
The 4×200-meter relay team of freshmen Leigh Martino, Rachel Friedman, Alexandra Lewis and Harmony Graves will look to follow up on its.
Senior pole vaulter Julie Orlando said she is proud of all of them as they take the next step toward national qualifications in the event.
“They are going to do great things, and it has been a pleasure to offer some guidance to help them achieve their goals.”
Winning events at the regional championships comes down to mental preparation, senior Emma Dewart said.
“For many of us, we know the physical strength and endurance is all there,” she said. “But what it comes down to is whether you are more ready mentally than those who you are competing against.”
Dewart said she has been focusing on fundamentals in preparing to compete in the events at the Armory this weekend.
“The focus is more nit-picking at my technique and making sure that everything is where it needs to be when it needs to be throughout the events,” she said.
Orlando said she has also worked on the minor details of pole vaulting.
“No matter where the bar is, focusing on the technique will let me clear higher heights,” she said.
The squad is working on each event individually.
“The team is working on each event individually, each person has something to work on, relay hand-offs, starting block techniques, we practice until we can’t do it wrong,” Orlando said.
Regardless of the difficulties that come with competing at such a high level, senior Heidi Baumbach said maintaining a positive attitude is important for the South Hill squad as its season winds down.
“I’ve experienced winning ECACs as a team in past years, and judging by the success we had at states this past weekend, I think we have a good shot at it this year,” she said.
The Bombers have been focused on more fine-tuning and speed work rather than high volume workouts. Orland said men’s pole vault record- holder Andrew Brown gave advised the team to be diligent in their preparation if they want to come out on top at the regional and national championships.
“He told me that it’s hard to succeed if you fail in practice,” Orlando said. “So we are practicing the way that we compete and that includes mental focus and preparation.”
