For the Ohio men's and women's track teams, spring will bring a new atmosphere.
The Bobcats will move from The Convo out to Goldsberry Track, but warmer weather won't be the only change.
Most of our meets are scored
said Ohio coach Clay Calkins. Indoors we hardly have any scored meets. The All-Ohio and the MAC meet are the only two scored meets. I wish they'd change that. I really like having the scored meet setting.
Ohio has traveled to five meets so far this winter and has two remaining. Besides last week's All-Ohio and next week's Mid-American Conference Championship, the Bobcats have focused as much on practicing at the meets as they have on competing. Spring will change that.
Every meet we do is going to be important to us Calkins said.
Last year, Ohio had nine athletes qualify for the NCAA Regional meet. Four of them - long jumpers Scott Mayle, Foli James and Randi Carter and hurdler Jericka Duncan - return this year. Carter did not compete this winter due to NCAA eligibility limits, but she will compete in her final outdoor season this year. Meanwhile, Mayle, James and Duncan have picked up where they left off.
Mayle, who advanced to the NCAA National Championship meet last year in the long jump, has won the event comfortably in all five indoor meets this winter and has run strongly in the 60-meter dash and the 200. James has consistently turned in top-five finishes in the long jump, high jump and hurdles, including a new Bobcats' indoor long-jump record at Bowling Green. Duncan has been nursing a groin injury, but she set a personal best in the 60-meter hurdles during preliminaries at the All-Ohio meet last Saturday.
Several other athletes have shown promise for the spring season, as well. Freshman Dan Bailey has been impressive in the sprints, recording a win in the 400 at the All-Ohio. Andrea Maas, also a freshman, has led the women's distance team. She beat out all other MAC competitors on her way to a runner-up finish in the 5,000 Saturday.
Men's distance runner Drew Frum said the men's distance side is eager to step up training for the outdoor season.
We're in great shape he said. We have about six guys at the same fitness level right now
so it's a great core group of guys to do long runs with and to be there in workouts.
Distance runner Austin Schiele sat out on a medical redshirt during the winter to rest a foot injury. The injury and season off was the first in Schiele's running career, but he said he feels confident despite not knowing what to expect.
This is probably the best solid winter training I've ever had
minus running
he said. One
because I could really focus lifting. I didn't have to worry about running. Two
doing the pool workouts really is going to help my leg lift and so I think I'll be a little bit faster just from that. Once you put that with running
I should have a dynamite spring once I get back into shape.
Both the men and women finished 10th in the MAC last spring. The Bobcats hope to improve, Calkins said.
We want to finish better than we did last year
obviously
Calkins said. It's just a tough field. Going through the MAC results here
