Men’s track strives for improvements in outdoor season

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Senior thrower Greg Pilling aims to repeat the All-American status he claimed in 2009 in the discus event.

He also was selected to the All-Mid-American Conference team behind a career-best hammer throw of 192 feet, 3 inches, in a meet against Eastern Michigan.

And as the 2010 outdoor track and field season gets under way, coach Willie Randolph said his star thrower is rounding into form.

“He (Pilling) is getting into better shape, and will hopefully be another All-American this year,” he said.

Pilling, despite a minor illness, competed in the season-opening Raleigh Relays on March 26-27. He finished 15th in the hammer throw with a distance of 168-4 and second in the discus with a distance of 168-0.

He won the discus event at the WMU invitational last weekend. And despite the team finishing behind Eastern Michigan — its only opponent — it saw other positives from athletes.

Senior Marcus Breidinger and sophomore Josh Kettlewell finished first and second, respectively, in the pole vault competition.

After finishing in last place of five teams at the MAC Indoor Championships, CMU looks for recent changes to take effect.

CHANGES

The men’s side of the track and field program has been a work in progress since Randolph took over in May 2009.

After the notable change of combining the men’s and women’s side into one team, the women’s side has taken strides. The men’s strides are less apparent, but Randolph said the foundation is now set.

“We’re together with everything we do with workouts and training,” he said, “Even though it is an individual sport, it’s become more supportive and competitive together than separate.”

But as the men’s side looks to improve on its last-place finish in the indoor season, the program has its eye on on the future as it looks at recruits from in-state programs.

It is crucial to make a connection to the state and surrounding areas as the program searches for athletes, Randolph said.

“It’s been an adjustment because you don’t necessarily know the area,” he said. “It is basically, ‘Get in and figure it out.’ Michigan has a lot of talent, it is just not as developed.”

And the hope is that recruiting will branch south when prestige is built with the first few recruiting classes.

But there may not be a limit of how far south the recruiting can go. Randolph began searching that direction with his focus in areas such as Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
With the help of assistant coach Dionne Henley, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, Randolph said he hopes to widen his recruiting grasp in the coming seasons.

OTHER NOTABLES
Sophomore David Ashcraft will lead in the 200- and 400- meter runs. He was named to the second-team All-MAC team in 2009.

Senior Riak Mabil scored in the 10,000-meter run at last year’s MAC Championships. He also will compete in the 1,500 and 5,000 competitions.