Alex Rose, Kevin Bacon lead men's track & field into weekend invite
After a long layoff, the Central Michigan men’s track and field team returns to competition today when they host the season-opening Chippewa Invite.
The meet will be held at the Jack Skoog Track in the Indoor Athletic Complex. Field events are set to begin at 4 p.m. with running events starting at 6 p.m. Competing against the Chippewas on the men’s side will be Detroit, Oakland, Aquinas College and returning Mid-American Conference champion Eastern Michigan.
The Chippewa Invite is the first time the team will be competing since December 3, when CMU held an intrasquad meet, and will be a good chance for the athletes to show that they have kept in shape over the Christmas holiday.
“Long breaks are every coach’s nightmare,” said director Willie Randolph. “But I think this year our athletes had a good mindset and have come back in good shape.”
Despite the challenges coach Randolph knows that dealing with long layoffs is something that everyone has to deal with, and the way his team responds to it is what holds the most importance.
“We need to compete at a high level, and take a step forward,” he said. “We need to see who’s ready to go.”
Friday’s meet is one of two home meets for the team during the indoor season and the final meet before the team hits the road.
“This is an important meet for us because it’s good measure of how hard we have been training,” said sophomore thrower Alex Rose. “We finally get to see some results. It also shows us what we need to work on during the season so when we get on the road we can be at the level we need to be at.”
Competing at a high level early in the season is something that coach Randolph stresses, and this meet is the first step in getting his athletes into peak athletic shape.
Leading the men’s team into Friday’s meet is Rose, junior jumper Kevin Bacon, sprinter Renaldo Powell, junior pole vaulter Josh Kettlewell and senior hurdler Branden Post. Randolph said he is excited to see how some of his top underclassmen perform, notably freshman sprinter Ross Parsons and redshirt freshman distance runner Tecumseh Adams.
