Track teams host Chippewa Open

The CMU men’s and women’s track and field teams return home Saturday for their second of four home meets this season.

CMU hosts Mid-American conference opponents Kent State, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and
non-conference opponent Oakland University in the Chippewa Invitational. Events begin at 11 a.m at the Indoor Athletic Complex’s Jack Skoog Track.

Coach Willie Randolph said he thinks KSU and EMU pose the biggest threat, but his team is not looking past any school.

“Our biggest competition is always everybody,” he said. “Every school has a certain level of strengths and weaknesses or levels that we want to be competitive against.”

Randolph said expectations are higher now that the team won several events last week.
Last week, Kent State men’s and women’s teams lost dual meets to Akron. The men lost 78.5-72.5 and the women lost 75-73.

Eastern Michigan beat CMU 100.50-44.50 on Jan. 15 in Ypsilanti.

CMU has more home meets this indoor season than in the past three years. Randolph his teams look forward to competing at home.

“Being able to wake up in your own bed and come over in a comfortable environment allows athletes to relax,” he said. “At home, you can have your friends and family support you, and you have the ability to compete freely.”

Senior All-American Greg Pilling, who did not score in last week’s meet because of a foul, said he is looking forward to this home meet.

“My wife and my son will be here,” he said. “It’s good to be home and be able to relax.”
Pilling has been limited thus far because of a long outdoor season with the
Canadian national team, but said his goals are high for the MAC championships in
February.

“I want to medal at the conference championships,” he said. “I want a throw of
60 feet.”

Pilling’s threw his career-best in the weight throw last year at the Chippewa Open, where he threw 58 feet,
11.5 inches.

Randolph said his staff has discussed several times how to handle Pilling’s training during the regular season because of his long summer.

“The amount of training that goes in for a thrower is unlike (anything else),”
Randolph said. “He’s perfectly fine with the timing right now.”