Well, it has been quite some time since I have posted on our blog. I hope this hasn't kept (should there be any regular readers) anyone from keeping up with us. I have wanted to update how things are going for some time but just haven't found the time to do so. I have recently been prompted to update because we inexplicably did not receive coverage from our previous track meet even though I provided all the necessary information for the story to our SID. That is, sadly, the life of track and field. Very few schools cover the track and cross country program with the same detail as other notable programs.
Here is the update from our latest meet, the Border Olympics in Laredo, TX: As customary, we came back with a handful of newly minted school records. The exciting part of having such a new and young program is that we break records left and right. We continue to get closer and closer to having records that rival more established, older programs. Here is the e-mail I sent to the team upon arriving back to SA Saturday evening:
Highlights (new school records):
Men:
Chacho Madera in the men’s 400m - 50.20
Jay Wilson in the men’s 1500m - 4:07.15
David Olivares in the men’s Javelin (and a near national qualifier – the national qualifying mark is 59.40m – 190’6”)
Mark Olivares in the men’s Discus (150’ 2”)
Women:
Emily Kopecki in the women’s Discus (with a throw of 125.7”)
The men’s 4 x 400m relay nearly won the event despite missing two of our four from last week. John Zavala and Christian Alicea were not able to run. Taylor Echevarria and Jay Wilson filled in admirably for them in an effort to win for the second week in a row.
The Border Olympics was our first full team meet of the outdoor season. We dual meeted at Texas A&M Kingsville Feb. 22. The highlights of that meet included our men setting new school records (and winning) the 4x100m and 4x400m relay. They ran 3:21 in the 4x400m in their first-ever action together. We are excited about the possiblities this season holds for our 4x4 squad. We have set a goal of running 3:12 this season, which we believe will give us a strong shot to qualify for the outdoor national championships in California late May.
Indoor Highlights:
Yvonne Rodriguez pulled off a tough double in mid-February with a school record setting 5K performance at Iowa State February 15th (18:07) followed by a win and new school record in the indoor 1600m the next day at University of Houston (5:10). Both marks were close to national provisional qualifying standards. Yvonne and I decided to make a run for the indoor national championships even though we had no intentions of doing so three weeks prior to that and our training indicated that much. We have always had the intention of peaking in late April, early May in anticipation of outdoor nationals. However, after running to an easy 18:12 in her first indoor race in four years, we decided to go to Iowa a week later to see if she could shave 20 seconds off of her time. Despite failing to do so, it was a good learning experience for both of us.
Our throws program has taken off this season, led by Coach Paul Northway and Mark and David Olivares. Mark and David have worked hard the past year to put on some much needed muscle weight. The returns are evident. Both have set big PRs this season and have also been instrumental in recruiting Danny Gonzales (who threw 155' in his first-ever javelin competition) and Emily Kopecki, who has improved to 125' in only her second college meet.
We travel to TX State this Friday with a goal of running sub 42 in the 4x100m and sub 3:19 in the 4 x400m. Our women sprinters look to improve as they have thus far this season and work toward achieving their goals as well. We will have a much needed break from competition the weekend after TX State before resuming competition at the UT Invitational March 22nd in Austin, TX.
I vow to be more faithful to updating this blog. Please check back for regular weekly updates from now until the end of the spring season.
Until next time...
