Experience and preparation to be tested in first meet for track and field
With USU’s track and field season only months away, the team is preparing for another successful year of competition in the WAC, Head Coach Gregg Gensel said.
Although the USU cross country team performed well last season, winning the WAC championship on both the men’s and women’s side, “it’s a whole different ballpark than outdoor track,” Gensel said. Cross country prepares the distance runners to be better off at track, but it does not directly affect the track team as a whole, Gensel said.
“It helps motivate them because we won,” Gensel said, “but physically, it’s a whole other season, and we have to approach it that way.”
The men’s track and field team contains many top returners who are expected to perform well this
season, Gensel said. These athletes include the multi-event participant Logan Moore, sprinter DJ Smith and distance runner Vance Twitchell. Thrower Kevin Liu is expected to excel this year after lettering in both indoor and outdoor track for the past three years.
On the women’s side, sophomore Stacie Lifferth and junior Jenny Twitchell look to do well this
season after both were outdoor qualifiers last year. Pole vaulter Kathryn Duhadway and hurdler Amber Peterson will also contribute success to the team.
Along side these returners, Gensel said he expects his newcomers to contribute to the success of the team.
“We’ve got a whole new group of kids coming in that should perform really well, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do,” he said.
Preparing for the year is a never-ending process, he said, and it will take a lot of practice and time to get the athletes ready for competition.
“It’s a year-long process to get in shape and to get physically sound so you perform your best at the most important meets,” Gensel said.
There is no need to be ready for competition just yet. The indoor WAC championship will not start until the end of February, and outdoor track is not scheduled to compete until May.
With the great achievements from last year’s track and field team, Gensel said these USU athletes are “very excited to compete, and they’re prepared to do it as much as they are for this time of the year.”
Because the WAC is strong in track, he said, they need all the practice they can get if they want to beat out their tough competition.
“I feel like we have a pretty good team, and I’d like to think we’re going to do well,” he said. “How well? That will be determined and yet to be seen.”