Eyes on the prize
Track and field to focus on adding to its trophy collection
After losing all of its national runners, Liberty University’s track and field program has strived to improve, according to Liberty Head Coach Brant Tolsma. With returning athletes and a solid recruiting class of talented newcomers, Tolsma hopes to form a team that can become a top competitor among Division I schools.
Fast afoot — The men’s and women’s track team continues to build a legacy. Photo credit: Ruth Bibby
The team’s primary goal for this season is to continue to build a legacy of success, which consists of 54 combined men’s and women’s Big South Titles.
With decent depth, both teams have the tools to accomplish its goals, according to Tolsma, and will be a threat in the Big South. While Tolsma said that neither the men or women have a guaranteed national scorer, both teams boast several athletes with the potential to be national qualifiers.
Ryan Smith, a redshirt senior thrower, and Kyle Wheeler, a sophomore jumper and last year’s Big South Men’s Freshman of the Year, can qualify for NCAA indoor and outdoor championships. They also can continue the team’s eight-year streak of scoring at the Division I national level.
Sophomore thrower Mychelle Cummings is the athlete to watch. She was the Co-Big South Women’s Freshman of the Year and was the shot put and discus champion last season.
In November, Liberty hosted the ninth annual Liberty Open and won 14 events. Now, the track and field athletes are gearing up for a stretch, including a handful of smaller, indoor meets in preparation for Big South competition. The team then hopes to continue its dominance in the conference by adding another win to a perfect home record against Big South challengers.
Following Big South Competition, Liberty’s track and field team will compete in the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America/Eastern College Athletic Conference meet, which typically consists of 70 or more teams from across the nation. Liberty hopes to once again join the elite teams of the meet, after having scored in the top 15 of the meet on both the men’s and women’s sides a year ago.
The team hopes to finish the indoor portion of the season by sending athletes to the Division I championships, which will take place in March.
In addition to indoor meets, Liberty’s track and field team expects to continue its success as they transition to outdoor competition.
Liberty will begin conference competition at their newly refurbished outdoor facility, the Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex. The new facility provides another means by which Liberty can become a “good team” and means that there is no longer any excuse for the team not to do well, according to Tolsma. This season, the team is in position to achieve its main goal of winning in the Big South.
At the Wake Forest Invitational, the men’s track team finished first, buoyed by ConRoy Smith and Andre Washington. The women finished second, led by Janae Jones and Cummings.