Doughty finishes first at Texas State after failing to reach final at Texas
The women’s track team is now stepping up its game with the outdoor season in full swing.
CMU sent a majority of its athletes to the University of Toledo to compete in the Toledo Collegiate Challenge but also sent a select few to Texas to compete at the University of Texas at the Texas Relays as well as Texas State University’s Bobcat Invitational. Among these competing was senior Bridget Doughty.
Doughty ran in the women’s 400m hurdles to favorable results at both Texas and Texas State University. She finished 22 out of 85 with a time of 1:01.51 on Friday but ultimately fell short of running in the finals. Her luck would change just a short 24 hours later.
At the Bobcat Invitational, Doughty managed to get a first-place finish in the women’s 400m hurdles with a time of 1:01.46. Despite most of her teammates competing up north, she still found motivation to push herself, even though her usual moral support was hundreds of miles north in Toledo.
“It was a lot different,” Doughty said. “We only had four people who went to Texas with us, and we’re not really used to that.”
The extreme, and sometimes harsh, Texas heat was something else that Doughty and others had to carefully prepare to face. She recognizes the team’s training staff and the need to stay hydrated, despite this not necessarily being her first time in these conditions.
“You just learn how to stay hydrated, and I think it helped all of us,” Doughty said. “I’ve competed in heat like this before, but you still have to do your best to stay hydrated.”
As far as individual success is concerned, Doughty remains humble and eager to compete again, despite her quick jump from 22nd place at the Texas Relays to first-place in the Bobcat Invitational this weekend.
Staying aggressive, according to Doughty, is going to be her motivation leading into practice this week after a somewhat hectic weekend of competition.
“It takes more than just all the physical training and preparation,” Doughty said. “I just need to be more aggressive and fight.”
Doughty, along with the rest of the Chippewas, will head into practice this week after a long and busy weekend of competition around the country. They are now looking forward to competing at the nearby Spartan Invitational at Michigan State University in East Lansing.
