March 13, 2018
Bryanna Winner
Coming off of a strong finish to the indoor season, the men’s and women’s track and field teams, will open the outdoor season with confidence, according to senior sprinter LaChristopher Smith.
“I feel confident going into this season since we have more depth on the team. We filled in a lot of spots that needed to be filled,” said Smith, a communication major.
The teams will compete in the Jerry Quiller Classic March 16 – 17. The teams hope that they can repeat their victories at the RMAC Championships on Feb. 24, according to sprinter Skylyn Webb. The women’s track and field team can in No. 1 at the RMAC Championships on Feb. 24, with the men following in No. 2.
However, outdoor competitions can present the team with challenges that differ from indoor events, according to Webb.
“Indoor track is really intense and intimate because it’s so small and everyone is kind of packed in there together,” said Webb, a graduate student in clinical psychology. “The races are also different because the track is smaller, and the turns are pretty tight sometimes, so it definitely feels different running on an outdoor track.”
Announced March 5, the women’s team is predicted to finish in second place behind reigning outdoor champions Adams State University, according to the RMAC Outdoor Preseason Coaches list. The men’s team is predicted to finish third behind Colorado School of Mines and Adams State University.
On the women’s side, freshman Kaija Crowe, senior Molly Klotz and junior Skylyn Webb were named to the All-RMAC Women’s Preseason Team. On the men’s side, junior William Mayhew is the lone Mountain Lion on the All-RMAC Men’s Preseason Team.
Last year, the women’s team finished in sixth place at the RMAC Outdoor Championships, while the men finished in fifth place. Smith feels that the team has been underestimated.
“With us going in and we have more people competing outdoor than we did indoor, I feel like it’s going to be another upset to the preseason,” said Smith.
“Since we have more people going into outdoor field wise, distance wise, sprint wise, we should be able to give (Colorado Mines) a run for their money since they are predicted first.”
Compared to indoor track and field, there are more events involved. For example, the 4x100m relay, javelin throw, and hammer throw are just some of the events that are included in the outdoor season.
“They have javelin, the hammer throw that wasn’t in indoor, and that’s big points coming out of both sides just in those two events,” said Smith, who would like to qualify in five events, including the 4x100m.
The Jerry Quiller Classic will be hosted at Potts Field on the CU Boulder campus.
For more information on track and field, visit gomountainlions.com.