COLUMN: Track and field teams becoming the best
Mark Guthrie, director of Central Michigan University track and field, has always stressed that his men’s and women’s track teams have to be “the best that they can be” in order to be successful at their Mid-American Conference indoor and outdoor championships.
Both Chippewa teams struggled at the MAC Indoor Championships at Jack Skoog Indoor Track in February. The men finished in last place, while the women were eighth out of 12 teams.
They were not “the best that they could be.”
CMU did not let the poor performance affect what they would do in March and April. The outdoor season is a whole new turn on the track, and it was a chance to start over.
So far, the Chippewas have turned the corner.
The Chippewas are collecting first-place finishes everywhere they go, including meets at the University of Louisville, Miami University, Oakland University, and Bucknell University.
They had seven first-place finishes at Louisville and two at Miami.
Last week at Oakland, they collected 18 first-place finishes. They also had a win in the 5,000-meter event at Bucknell from junior Nate Ghena.
What has contributed into the Chippewas to becoming “the best that they can be?”
Senior leadership has been present. The men are led by distance runner Ben Wynsma, who finished second overall in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at Bucknell on Saturday. The women are led by Diamond Hamilton and Ravyn Baxter, who won the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes at Oakland on Saturday, respectively.
Michigan State University transfer senior Abbey Kelto is on her way to becoming the most decorated distance runner in CMU track and field history. She holds the indoor records for the 3,000-meters and 5,000-meters and recently broke the 10,000-meters outdoor record at Stanford University.
They have added transfer students. Arkansas State University-transfer junior Tahshohn Reese has two first-place finishes in the 100-meter dash out of three outdoor meets.
Tina Davis, a freshman transfer from a Kansas community college, has two first-place finishes in the 100-meter dash as well this outdoor season.
After stumbling out of the block at the MAC Indoor Championships in the 60-meter dash, Davis has learned from what happened and is proving to be the best that she can be.
If this season is truly a rebuilding year, she will be a bright spot.
However, one of the most important components behind this turnaround is the director himself.
You have to give credit to Guthrie. Just two seasons ago, the program was in disarray and cries poured out for the firing of former director Willie Randolph.
Fast forward to 2015, Guthrie has changed the culture of this program.
He has recruited around the country and around the world. He brings a pleasant and happy demeanor that his student athletes love to be around.
Guthrie said it will take a few more years to finally start seeing the fruits of this program to be realized.
Right now, he is dealing with the group that he has.
And that group is being “the best that they can be.”
