USU track ready to kick off season
The Utah State University indoor track team is hosting its only home meet of the season Saturday against Long Beach State University, the University of Utah, Weber State University and BYU. The field events will begin at 9 a.m., and the running events will start at 10 a.m. in the Fieldhouse.
Head Coach Gregg Gensel said he expects the team to do well, but isn’t putting much emphasis on whether they win or lose this particular meet.
“At this time of year, I am trying to get confidence in my team and am trying to work it little by little,” he said. “We’re just trying to get better each week.”
Gensel said the team is doing things differently this season by not focusing very much on the indoor season but rather concentrating on doing well in outdoor track, particularly at the outdoor Big West Conference Championships.
“We’re not putting as much emphasis on the indoor season this year,” he said. “We just want to make sure we keep people healthy for the outdoor season.”
Two athletes who are expected to have strong performances Saturday are Maurice Jenkins and Debra Barker in the pole vault, who Gensel said “always compete well at our home meets.”
Gensel said Cedric Young and Justin Wickard have both ran well in the sprints and hurdles, respectively, so far this season, and he expects them both to be strong at this meet.
Distance runners Steve Prescott and Sandra Reategui should be powerful competitors, as well as Kristi Conners in the 200- and 400-meter dashes, Gensel said.
Gensel said he thinks both the men’s and women’s teams will be strong enough by the outdoor championships to win.
“I’m excited about the team and their possibilities,” he said. “I can’t control what other teams do, but if everybody on our team does what they are supposed to do, I like our chances of winning the conference title.”
He also said he expects at least a few individuals on the team to make it to the national championships. Jenkins, Barker, Conners, Joel Johnson, Anthony Stewart, Josh Sides and Candice Workman all have a good chance of becoming All-Americans, Gensel said.
“I think they are all good enough that they have great potential for going to nationals,” he said.
The team is expected to compete strongly Saturday in front of the home crowd. They will have one other home meet on April 20 during the outdoor season.