Track and field finishes strong

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With a little race experience tucked under their belts, the Crusaders flew across the finish line at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas on Saturday, March 7. In the men’s 1500 meter run, UD’s Thomas Lagarde, with a rival from Austin College heavy at his heels, finished at an impressive 4:32. He placed fifth in his heat, earning points for his team.  UD’s men’s team placed third out of 10, and the women’s placed third out of nine in the SCAC competition on Saturday.

The Crusaders spent the rest of the day racking up points in various events, such as the men’s 400 meter dash, the men’s 110 hurdles and Kevin McGuirk’s second place finish in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 59.35 seconds. 

As team captain Mary Korth said last week, “Hardin-Simmons will have good competition but won’t be impossible for us to score points.” Plenty of points were scored, with solid performances from every runner.

At the beginning of any, say, 200 meter dash, every runner does their best to get a hold of their nerves. Some competitors are friendly, others ignore those around them. Each and every one of you on that line has the same exact goal — the finish line. 

UD’s first years Anisa Meza and Sara Mora, along with third year Anna Brunk convened at the starting line, stretching and preparing for their race. 

“I was pretty nervous,” says Meza, “but a girl from another team who was going to compete in our heat came up to us just to talk.” The camaraderie of the other runners and her teammates helped calm her nerves and prepared her for the start signal. In their heat, all 3 placed within three seconds of each other but finished after their Hardin-Simmons companion. 

When asked about workouts in regard to limited training resources, Meza replied that Coach Nick Schneigert had them doing progressives. 

As both a soccer player and a 200, 400 and 4×400 relay runner, a progressive for Meza is four laps, with escalating speed. Normally, she runs 1-3 progressives and generally feels very positively about her current practice situation. “I love running because of the community and the workout, and Coach Nick is awesome!” she said. 
Coach Schneigert’s original goal for culture and community building has certainly been growing, and we can hope to see an even stronger team at the UCA Spring Opener next Saturday at the University of Central Arkansas. Siempre Adelante!

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