After winning another Empire 8 championship, the men’s and women’s indoor teams plan to use their recent success as motivation for crucial meets remaining on their schedule.
This was the first team championship opportunity of the season, and women’s Head Coach Jennifer Potter said the meet was beneficial because the younger athletes got a chance to gain experience in a high-pressure meet.
“Being so young there were a lot of jitters out there,” she said. “I’m excited. It was really fun, and I thought the girls really went out and competed.”
The same goes for the men’s team. Men’s Head Coach Jim Nichols said he is proud of his team for winning this meet, but he also knows his team is going for what he calls the “Triple Crown” — winning the Empire 8 championship in cross country, indoor and outdoor. It is a feat they are now one win away from achieving.
“It’s always special when a group of guys come together and win a championship,” he said. “This is our seniors’ fourth year in a row winning the indoor championship, so the goal is to win the outdoor also.”
Even with the E8 championships behind them, the teams still have a large portion of their seasons ahead of them. There are several dual meets leading up to the NYSCTC Indoor Championships and the ECAC Indoor Championships. With these meets still forthcoming, Nichols said their team still has plenty to work on.
“We’re a long way away from where we want to be at the end of the indoor season, but the guys have worked very hard since we came back in early January, and we have talked about working through this meet to prepare for the next couple of weekends,” he said.
His team is also on board with this mentality. Freshman Sawyer Hitchcock, who posted the fastest time in the mile at the championships, participated in his first team championship meet yesterday but said he is ready to keep working to improve.
“It is the first big meet of the season, but it is still early,” he said. “This is not the goal of the season.”
The women’s team is also striving to keep motivated for the rest of the season. Sophomore Christine Benway said she feels that her individual performance will help keep her going for the rest of the season.
“[This win] motivates me to continue my training and work hard at practice and to get even better,” she said.
Potter said the track season is still young, and that she feels this team is in an even better position than it was last year at this time. However, she said the team still has some work to do and that this meet should motivate them as they move forward.
“I’m excited about what we did and how it will lead us into the postseason, which is really where we look to do the best overall,” she said. “We can’t really speak for this meet because it is too early in the training cycle.”
