Track and field teams gear up for MAC, interstate competition
One week after Central Michigan University’s track and field team notched six first-place finishes at Saginaw Valley State University’s Doug Hansen Open, the Chippewas hope to do even better on their own track.
The CMU men’s track and field team is set to face Eastern Michigan University at 3 p.m. on Friday at Jack Skoog Indoor Track.
The women will follow with a triangular against the Eagles and rival Western Michigan University. The women’s home event will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Mark Guthrie, director of CMU track and field, said he and the Chippewas are well aware of the magnitude of their first MAC action this season.
“It’s big in the fact that you are competing against your in-state rivals,” Guthrie said. “There is a little bit of bragging rights and a little bit of pride on the line. Clearly, Eastern Michigan is a much better team right now on the men’s side. But we are going to stick our nose in there and see where it gets us.”
The men:
EMU’s men are coming off a victory at the Notre Dame Invitational on Saturday, edging out schools like Michigan State University, Indiana State University and Purdue University.
Eagles sophomore Tyler Brown took the 400-meter dash with a time of 46.26, which is the second fastest time of any runner in 2015.
Anthony Jones helped build up his EMU record in the weight throw with a distance of 20.75 meters in South Bend. EMU’s Harry Dixon won the 3000-meter with a mark of 8:18.45. The Eagles also took home wins in the 4x400-meter relay, long jump and triple jump.
The women:
The EMU women finished fifth in the Notre Dame Invitational, scoring 53.5 points. The Eagles only first-place finish was in the pole vault from Ellie Braidic, who won at 4.00 meters.
EMU had a sixth-place finish in the 60-meter dash from Aaliyah McKinney who finished at 7.64, three hundredths of a second away from CMU freshman Tina Davis’ final time in the Chippewas race last week at SVSU.
The Western Michigan Broncos are coming off the Gladstein Invitational, an unscored meet, last weekend in Bloomington, Ind. WMU had two first-place finishes in the event: Kathryn Pickett in the long jump (5.97 meters) and Naiomi Dulaney in the 200-meter dash (25.24).
“I think it is a little bit more balanced on the women’s side.” Guthrie said. “I think it is good for track and field and good for the state of Michigan track and field. A lot of these kids in high school competed head-to-head. It is a lot about personal pride and team pride. That is what makes it exciting.”
Chippewas health update
Sophomore hurdler Ja’Corey Lipsey, will be out for multiple weeks with a hamstring injury endured on Friday at SVSU.
Polish hurdler Ziemowit Dutkiewicz, high jumper Matt Mueller, and distance runner Abbey Kelto, who all rested last week are all expected to compete.
“Once you give somebody a break you hope they bounce back at a higher level,” Guthrie said. “Our distance kids just cannot run every week. Track and field gives you the ability to move people up and down the list.”
Guthrie admits that some of the CMU athletes did not have their performances last week in Saginaw.
“Every meet there is good and bad and you try to see what you did well, replicate that, and you want to identify it and not repeat it,” he said. “Each week you try to be better. For some of the people for whatever reason they were not ready to go or they were ready to go and that is where they are at in this point in time. Each day you build on what you did previously.”
CMU will try to make a statement this Friday against their in-state rivals, which is senior day at Jack Skoog. This is their only MAC event before next month’s MAC indoor championship in Mount Pleasant.
Guthrie is treating Friday like the real thing, but also said playing with pride will be the Chippewas’ first priority.
“They need to compete with pride and they need to represent,” Guthrie said. “I’m sure a lot of these kids know each other but when you are on the track it’s head-to-head. If they’re going to beat us then they are going to have to go hard and if we are going to win then we are going to have to go hard.”
