As the semester comes to an end, so does the track and field season. UIndy’s track and field team is gearing up for its last conference on May 1 before nationals.
To qualify for the conference, the top 24 runners compete and the top 18 people per field event compete, junior pole vaulter Mackenzie VanBibber said. The athletes train hard all season to peak their scores at conference, senior thrower Cameron Smith said. However, winning is not always the goal of conference. He said conference is a time to improve personal scores and display their improvement since the past season, especially since throwing can be a very individual sport. After conference, some of the athletes will begin recovery before the next season while others prepare for nationals.
For Smith, conference will be emotional for him, as it is his last before he graduates. He said he has developed a great relationship with his coach and his team and will miss them all when he graduates. However, he plans to continue with track and field by helping with training on campus and competing for fun.
Smith said he wished he had focused more on smaller improvements, such as his form, rather than focusing so much on winning when he entered college. He explained he was not recruited into the University of Indianapolis track and field team and started near the bottom of the team in his freshman year. However, he was able to push himself to improve through continuous training and prioritizing his health.
For next semester, Smith said he looks forward “to seeing them continue to improve and see new faces come in.”
Smith said there are freshmen on his team he is looking forward to seeing improve, and is excited about the skilled recruits joining the team next year. He said Dylan Mayhew will return for the indoor season, and he predicts Mayhew will make big marks next season.
VanBibber said their team has improved their speeds for sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers this season due to their new sprinting coach. She said they have broken many records this year.
“He’s very consistent,” VanBibber said. “He shows up every day and doesn’t show favoritism. He cares for every athlete, beyond the sport, too.”
VanBibber hopes to win conference for the first time with a goal jump height of 13 feet. This season, she has improved with the help of the new coach and broken a personal record for the first time in a year and a half with a jump of 3.85 meters.
VanBibber said people should watch for Jorjia Ferguson next season. Ferguson is currently injured, but VanBibber defined her as a jack of all trades.
“She hurdles and she’s a great 400 runner,” VanBibber. “She’s usually on our four by four. She does a long jump, and she’s done the pit inside, so she might do the half outside. Super athletic girl.”
There will also be eight female pole vaulters and around four men committed to joining for next semester, VanBibber said. She said that this larger squad, along with their usually large throwing squad and newly recruited sprinters, the track and field team should be growing in many more events next season. However, VanBibber said it is important to continue having fun, even with the improvements. “It is one event on a team that you will be a part of for four years, and it does not define the rest of your life,” VanBibber said. “So why don’t you just have fun while you do it?”
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