Track and field heads to Akron Invitational
A select few Central Michigan track and field members are will compete in the Akron Invitational with hopes of earning Mid-American Conference qualifying marks.
The track and field athletes who are not participating in the Akron Invitational from Feb. 7 to the 8th will be competing in the Hillsdale Classic at Hillsdale College.
Ypsilanti senior Clay Holman and Saginaw senior Shawntoreah Turk sprinters who Gurthie hopes will receive automatic mark in the MAC meet. Besides the key sprinters for this meet, Gurthie hopes to pick up qualifications in the mid-distance events as well as mile runners.
MAC qualifiers are vital to track and field early in the season, as depth in the Conference meet allows more strategic maneuvering. After the weight of earning a qualifying mark has been lifted, athletes are able to spend the rest of the season focusing on race strategies and training to maximize their results.
“You can train all the way to the peak if you are qualified, whereas if you aren’t, you have to keep backing off to play around with hitting the mark instead of getting that nice training continuum,” Gurthie said.
The Chippewa’s are heading out regional-based meet where they will compete with schools from states, such as: Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
In addition to the meet at Akron this weekend, a few other major meets will be held.
