Sophomore Juli Accurso, distance coach Mitch Bentley and head coach Clay Calkins are in Nampa, Idaho, for the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship.
Accurso, who will run the 5,000-meter race Friday night, will become the first woman to represent the Bobcats in a race at the indoor championships.
After breaking the Meyo Track, Mid-American and Ohio school marks in the 5,000 meter last weekend with a time of 15 minutes and 58.69 seconds, Accurso is ranked 13th in the nation.
Accurso is one of three Mid-American Conference athletes competing at Jacksons Indoor Track and the only one who is running. Akron and Buffalo’s athletes are competing in field events.
To prepare for this race, the coaches and Accurso watched the tape of last year’s 5,000-meter race at the NCAAs. The winner was slower than they thought with a time of 16 minutes and 4.56 seconds.
However, they are more focused on where Accurso will place than on whether she will break more records.
“It’s more about positioning in the race — the time is irrelevant,” Bentley said.
Accurso is guaranteed to be a second team all-American because of her current ranking, but finishing in the top eight would earn her a place on the first team — a goal for the Bobcats.
“The 5k is a tactical race – it’s more mentally challenging than physically challenging in a way,” Accurso said. “And I’m looking forward to running it with the top girls in the nation.”
Calkins and Bentley agreed that as long as she does not let too many runners get in front of her and tries to stay in the top eight positions from the start, Accurso will set herself up for a strong finish.
This is the last race for Accurso before she redshirts in the spring while she travels to France to study abroad. Accurso will train throughout her time in Europe and maybe even run a few races there unattached before coming back to Ohio in the fall for cross-country season.
nb155607@ohiou.edu
UPNEXT
NCAA Championships
Jacksons Indoor Track
Nampa, Idaho
Accurso running 5k Friday night
