Photo by: Henoc Kivuye
The Oklahoma Christian University track and field team utilized the J.D. Martin Invitational to add experience and identify areas to improve.
Completing the meet with personal records is just an added bonus.
“This meet is a good way for our athletes to improve their skills, and we are looking forward to watching their performances,” Head Coach of Track and Field Randy Heath said.
While the invitational served as a practice meet, athletes still understood the importance of giving full effort in their respective events.
“This is a great meet at OU and good for players,” freshman Kyle Broaddrick said. “Everyone needs to try their best [in their running and throwing events.]”
The Eagles had 11 athletes qualify to attend the meet, which is exclusive to only the top athletes in the area due to the small size of the invitational.
“Because this competition is small, we have a smaller team to attend it,” Heath said.
The Eages have competed in relatively large meets the last two weeks, taking on up to 40 competitors.
For this exclusive practice invitational, however, Oklahoma Christian was represented by five women and seven men.
The Eagles found success in several events in Norman.
Senior Larry Brown took fourth place out of 11 competitors in the weight throw with a final distance of 51 feet.
Although Brown did not reach his event goal, he still values the opportunity the invitational provides.
“The competition was a really good meet, and there were a lot of great throwers there,” Brown said. “However, I was not happy with my performance because I did not throw as good as I wanted to throw, and my technique wasn’t good today.”
Sometimes the score is not the most important motivating factor of the competition.
“Our goal of this meet is to improve athletes’ skill in their events,” Heath said. “I am not so concerned with performance, like how far they throw, how far they jump and how fast they run. I just want them to learn experience from this meet.”
Sophomore Rebecca Bloodworth took 15th place in the 200-meter dash.
“Before the first 100-meter, it was a little harder for me because I fell behind some [runners],” Bloodworth said. “However, after the 100-meter, I pretty much caught them.”
Bloodworth set a personal record at the J.D. Martin Invitation, posting a time of 27.71 seconds.
“When I am running, I just try to encourage myself and watch the [other runners],” Bloodworth said. “Because the 200-meter dash is not far, and I need to focus on them all the time.”
Each athlete has different routines before a competition.
“Before I start my throw, I let my mind go blank and let my body take over,” Brown said.
Other athletes earned high honors in the meet. Junior Maegan Cowan took third place out of 11 competitors in the 800-meter run.
Sophomore Austin Wallace claimed seventh in the 60-meter hurdles.
Junior Jamal George finished seventh place in the 200-meter dash. Freshman Miranda Ostlund and junior Kathryn Ostlund both competed in the weight throw, and their efforts earned them 13th and 16th-place finishes in their events respectively.
Athletes dedicate large sums of time to their sports to ensure they are as prepared as possible for meets.
“We train two hours every day, almost always Monday [through] Friday because we always have competitions on Saturday,” Heath said.
Sometimes basic training is not enough to keep athletes in good condition, so they spend even more practicing on their own time.
“Some of the guys run 40 miles a week, and some are up to 70 miles a week,” Broaddrick said.
The Eagles, specifically Heath, plans to use the results of this meet to better equip themselves for the remainder of the season.
When athletes understand their weaknesses, it will reflect upon their future scores survival and instrict, according to Heath.
“The goal of the whole season is not changed, but this time I want them to improve their skills,” Heath said. “This meet was a good experience to help them to get better scores in the rest of the season.”
The Oklahoma Christian University track squad’s next meet is today in the Missouri Southern Lion Invitational in Joplin, Mo.
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