The Gustavus Men and Women’s Track and Field teams continue to shine during their indoor season events as they get ready for the outdoor season coming up in April.
Senior Captain Colin Rust reflected on the positive and negatives aspects of the indoor season so far. “A lot of athletes were studying abroad during [January Interim] this year, which made it difficult to maintain consistency throughout our practices and our meets. However, it was also the best [January] we’ve had; a lot of underclassmen stepped up and we had some of our best performances over [January] because of that,” Rust said.
Sophomore jumper and sprinter Matt Dvorak gave the perspective of an underclassman. “Sophomores have a different perspective than the upperclassmen; our job is to encourage the first-year athletes and keep them focused throughout the season,” Dvorak said.
Senior Captain Cole Carlson also felt the indoor season has gone well this year. “I’ve seen more dedication this year, and the underclassmen are definitely trying harder to reach their full potential,” Carlson said.
The Women’s team has taken a somewhat similar approach to the indoor season. Senior Captain Kaelene Lundstrum felt that this season was a time for new team members to adjust to college competition. “The new athletes are still getting used to the pace of college track. We used this indoor season to get better conditioned and transition our first-years,” Lundstrom said.
As spring approaches, the focus shifts for both the Men’s and Women’s teams to the outdoor season. Some of the athletes have higher expectations for the outdoor season than others, since it is the main part of the season. Carlson, in particular, has high expectations for the outdoor season.
“Our goal is to [get ranked in the] top four in the MIAC as well as to stay motivated throughout our long season,” Carlson said.
Dvorak also shared his expectations for the outdoor season. “We need to maintain our consistency and instill some urgency to place in the top four. One of the ways we can do that is by spreading out our talent so that we’re strong in all of our events and not just one or two of the events,” Dvorak said.
The Women’s team has even higher goals after its second place finish in the MIAC Outdoor Championships last year and sixth place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Junior mid-distance runner Abby Karl elaborated on her goals for the outdoor season. “I would love to go back to Nationals. Last year was my first time going and there is no better feeling than getting the chance to compete at the national level,” Karl said.
Lundstrum agreed with Karl about returning to Nationals for the outdoor season. She is equally passionate about their team goal to place high in the MIAC. “Our biggest team goal is to close the gap between us and St. Thomas so that we can take second in the Conference this year,” Lundstrum said.
Both the Men’s and the Women’s Track and Field teams have multiple key athletes returning to the teams this year. The Men’s team especially carries a lot of leadership. “We have such a strong senior and junior class that we need to spread out our talent among the team so that we’re an all-around strong team and not just a strong team individually,” Rust said.
Dvorak also felt that the leadership on the Men’s team is just as important as the strength of the team itself. “The captains’ and upperclassmen[‘s] leadership this year has been incredible, which is why I think we have such good chemistry on our team right now. The captains are helpful and encouraging, and they really know how to keep you motivated for future meets,” Dvorak said.
Junior Sprinter Colby Citrowske also felt that the experience of the returning team members has influenced the underclassmen more than any other group on the team. “All of the returning talent has really influenced some of the underclassmen to step up and push themselves to their full potential,” Citrowske said.
The Women’s team has experienced similar effects from their returning athletes. Sophomore jumper and sprinter Sarah Baker explained her personal experiences. “The captains and the upperclassmen have been really good at motivating the underclassmen. For me they have been good role models. It’s like having an extra coach to talk to,” Baker said.
This year the Men’s Indoor Track and Field team has progressed as a team. Their distance medley relay team, consisting of Max Hanson, Carson Smith, John Kennedy and Carlson broke the school indoor record this year. With all the strength of the returning athletes on the Men’s team, they definitely have high expectations for the rest of the indoor season which will carry over into the outdoor season.
The Women’s team expects to compete at a very high level this season and hopes to send some of the team back to Nationals. “We would love to send our girls back to Nationals for two years in a row. That would be a huge accomplishment both individually and as a whole,” Karl said.