Indoor Track, Field Athletes Racing Toward Spring Wins
Erin Fralick
The indoor track and field team is racing through their season this year and their next event is the 2016 HCAC Championship conference at Defiance College on Saturday, Feb. 20. “We are excited to represent Manchester University again this year at our indoor champion-ship and know that we will put two teams out there that the community will be proud of,” said Brian Cash-dollar, coach of the indoor track and field team.
Indoor track and field is a multiple-event sport, despite having less events than its outdoor counterpart. However, having multiple events makes it difficult to have a singular practice model to follow. “On any given day we could use 8-15 different practice plans,” Cashdollar explained. Different events include distance running, sprints, jumps, hurdles and throws. Some members compete in a single event while others compete in multiple events. Some students take on as many as three events.
Cashdollar’s goal is to create a strong and consistent team. “We keep our goals focused on things we can control,” he said. “With track and field there are a lot of variables that can influence teamoutcome so we focus on what we can control.” However, the best way to do this, as Cashdollar explained, was to build a united team. “We all influence how the team performs,” he said. “When we think about it like that then every individual on our team is just as important as the next.
“What I find most re-warding is being a part of the pro-cess of hopefully encouraging ath-letes to grow as people and to grow as athletes,” Cashdollar added.
The indoor track and field team has already competed at Rose Hulman, the Don and Zim-mer Indoor Classic, the Anderson University Raven Invitational, and at the Defiance College Invitational. The team placed 3rd at Anderson University Raven Invitational. “The season is off to a good start,” Cash-dollar said. “The men and women are working hard and have prepar-ing themselves for the opportuni-ty to compete at their best at the HCAC indoor championships.” The team will have meets on Feb. 20, Feb. 27 and March 5 be-fore they compete in 2016 NCAA Division III Championships which will be held in Grinnell, Iowa. To find out the places and times of these meets, check Manchester University’s track and field page located on the Manchester University website.