The first weeks of March give the NCAA’s basketball teams a chance to win a conference title, but to the members of track and field teams across the country, March brings considerably different emotions.
The sport of college track and field runs in three cycles: outdoor training through the fall, a winter indoor season, and then back outside for the spring finale. The indoor and outdoor seasons each host their own America East championships, and some distance runners, like freshman Katie Radzik, had a third chance with cross-country championships in October.
“It’s really exciting,” Radzik said. “We have so many meets that are just, ‘oh, it’s another meet.’ This one, it’s so big; there’s a lot of competition. It’s a great experience, too.”
“We have three in a year, so that’s three chances to do as good as we can,” added freshman Kaitlyn DiPietro, a middle-distance runner.
The week leading up to the meet is different than most other weeks of the year; the team “tapers” its practices to rest up, instead of the intense running and training they’re used to. Sleep is also very important leading up to the championships.
The extra rest should especially help some of the top competitors on the team try and set personal bests. Shot putters Paddy Hennessey and Justin Halleck are ranked second and third in their event, while sophomore Dayna Johnson is a legitimate contender to win the triple jump. Radzik is Binghamton’s top distance runner on the women’s side, while classmate Ryan Shon should get on the board on the men’s side.
“I beat [Paddy] last weekend [against Albany], and he wasn’t too happy about it,” Halleck said. “Even though we’re seeded 2-3, we’re looking to go 1-2.”
Furthermore, sophomore Katie Wilmer has the AE’s top height in the pole vault (11-9.75), while senior Hasani Hampden is the defending champion in the heptathlon. Both of them will look to take individual titles in their events.
While the event is a composition of mostly individual events, the team aura is omnipresent throughout the competition. BU’s goal will be to hopefully place fourth or higher on both the men’s and women’s side.
“Our goal is to finish top-three,” Halleck said. “It’d be very hard to win, but we’re trying to take the little steps to get better each year.”
The competition, held at Boston, lasts through tomorrow. The teams will take a long-awaited week off, then move on to their outdoor seasons.
“I think everyone’s looking forward to spring season,” DiPietro said.