Success for track and field team depends on leadership
Nearly two months have passed since track and field's last competition, providing plenty of time to prepare for their first true test of the season.
This Friday, in the Indoor Athletic Complex, the Jack Skroog Open will allow both the men's and women's track and field teams a good measure of their progress since participating in the Holiday Classic in December.“I feel like we are progressing. I see a major change coming,” said junior sprinter Ravyn Baxter.
She and her teammates remain optimistic and excited for the new season, Baxter said.
Due to CMU's disappointing performance in the Mid-American Conference Championship last season, Baxter said the prospects of the team this year should be viewed in a positive light, especially thanks to Mark Guthrie, the new director of track and field.
“I feel like he is a great asset to the team," Baxter said. "We were in turmoil at the time, and him coming in was a dream come true because we really needed him. He is very humble, quiet and I really like that about him. You can see that he wants change and something good from the team.”
Junior sprinter Curt Mitchell agrees with his teammate, saying Guthrie has already made a large impact with the Chippewas.
“The new coach installed a sense of leadership and also aided in getting (us) to believe in ourselves and in winning," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said the ultimate goal is for the team to win the MAC Championship. In the pursuit of that goal, he said they are progressing very well and starting to come closer together.
“We all get along; we talk to each other, go out together and we just mesh well,” Mitchell said.
Alongside leadership from the coaching staff, the Chippewas will ultimately need to rely on each other if they wish to be successful. Baxter and Mitchell bring two different styles of leadership to the team, both of which are instrumental among sports with large teams like track and field.
Baxter said one of her strong points is as a vocal team leader, as well as being an advice-giving friend on and off the track. She said she perceives her teammates, especially her relay partners, as a family.
Meanwhile, Mitchell said he is more of an introvert who often stays quiet, preferring to lead by example.
Both Mitchell and Baxter will be competing in the Jack Skoog Open at 4 p.m. on Friday at the Indoor Athletic Center.
