Just three weeks have passed since Ohio had its best finish at the Mid-American Conference Track and Field Indoor Championship in four years, but the runners, sprinters, throwers and jumpers are already facing a new challenge, namely the outdoor season.
The times where Ohio’s athletes were running on a perfectly dry track, without a breezing headwind in a pleasant tempered facility are over as they begin their outdoor campaign at Wake Forrest Open in Winston Salem, N.C., this weekend.
“It’s always exciting to go outdoors,” Ohio coach Clay Calkins said. “We’re a better outdoor team.”
Ohio’s program history justifies Calkins observation. Between 2005 and 2011 his team has placed better at the outdoor championship than they did at the indoor one. Ohio’s strong events such as the javelin, hammer throw, the 4 x 400m relay and the 10,000 meter race are outdoor-only events, which explains its stronger outdoor performance.
“The long throw really benefits the team,” Calkins said. “I think across the board the events we transition we into, the longer events benefit our team. That goes all the way down to the 100m and 200m instead of the 60m indoor.”
Ohio’s distance squad, however, will once again carry the team in the two-day event.
After junior Melissa Thompson won the mile at the MAC Indoor Championship in a school record time of 4:48.22 minutes, she looks to repeat her success in the slightly shorter 1500-meter race. Teammate Juli Accurso will lace her running shoes for the 3000-meter and 5000-meter races. In both events she tops the line-up with the best-seeded time.
“We saw some solid performances in the indoor season (in the distance events) and we try to take that into the outdoor season,” Calkins said.
Because Ohio lacks an appropriate track and field indoor facility, the Bobcats have practiced outdoors all winter long, in temperatures below freezing, in headwind and tailwind and in snow. After all they should be ready to take on 28 teams in Salem’s sunny 70-degree weekend.
am794811@ohiou.edu
