NGU’s track team has more than speed, they have spirit
Mary Margaret Flook, Staff Writer
Life on the oval office is more than just running in circles.
What sport do you play? That is the question that every athlete gets asked, until you run (pun intended) into a track athlete and realize they don’t play.
I don’t know how you do it, I could never just go to practice and run. The track and field team at North Greenville University succeeds in their speed in competition. The recent indoor conference meet proved that. Yet the team also has spirit. Their practices are filled with reps, repeats, and runs (both in a circle, and sometimes behind a tree).
The NGU track team is transitioning from indoor season into outdoor. Both the men and women had a successful completion of their indoor track season that demonstrated the speed of the team.
The men placed 3rd in the conference and the woman placed 5th. Several took first place and became indoor conference champions.
Terrique Webb earned the conference title in the long jump with a jump of 7.06m. Webb also was named the 2023 Indoor Freshman of the Year.
Tiara Cox won the 60m dash with her time of 7.65. Prior to making it to finals, Cox beat her own personal and school record in the prelims with a time of 7.62. More on Cox’s season can be found here.
Bryce Hamby became the indoor track champion in the pole vault with his jump of 4.15m.
The men’s 4x400m relay team won with their combined time of 3:22.81. The relay team included Marcus Thomason, Webb, Jacobie Sims, and Gray McIntyre.
Several other individuals won second place becoming indoor conference runners-ups including Avery Shope in the mile (5:16), Hayden Goode in the 5000m (14:49), JoAnn Smiling in the long jump (5.63), Antavious Lawton in the 400m (49.94) and the woman’s 4x400m (4.01.59) team of Smiling, Cox, Hannah Hill and Carleigh Vaughn.
Others placed 3rd including Sims in the 60mh (8.41), Cox in the 200m (25.53), Royal Foster in the triple jump (13.62m) and Jaxon Beebe, Jordan Meekins, Brandon Dugar and McIntrye in the men’s distance medley relay.
Head Coach Cameron Stober said, “I am so proud of both teams. Conference championships bring out the best in everyone competing. It is competitive and points are not easy to come by. Both of our teams performed when it mattered the most…at the conference championship. As a coach, that’s all you can ask for.”
They have had a speedy indoor track season.
Yet, what happens at meets like conference is much more than just running in circles. More than just speed, the track team has spirit.
Coach Nicholas Douglass said that when you compete it is just each individual athlete out there but in practice they train together.
Unlike other sports where the team competes together in a game, track is individualized with athletes competing in different heats of different races throughout a track meet. With that individualization comes variety.
Shope said the team has a variety of personalities. She said each individual gets their time to shine and that the team is their own biggest fan club. Shope said some have big personalities and will cheer loud and others may be quieter and pull you aside and tell you good job.
Individuals on the track team each have their own specialty, personal goals and personality that betters the team as a whole regardless of their performance or lack of in indoor conference. Several members of the team are looking ahead to outdoor season.
Tarrence Ketter, a 400m sprinter, has one of those big personalities. When speaking of the upcoming outdoor season he said, “I’m so excited.” The team is ready for it, he said. Ketter is known for bringing his cartoon stuffed animal Sonic to the track meets. Ketter said in outdoor season Sonic will make his appearance again.
Jada Wilson, a senior short distance sprinter, when speaking of the upcoming outdoor season, said that with it being her last outdoor season she does not want to overthink it and is ready to have fun.
Christian Gidney, a long-distance runner, said she is coming off of an injury. She was not able to compete in indoor conference. She said she does not know what event she will be running yet for outdoor but is excited to see how fast she can go.
Kylie Futrell, a long-distance runner, is in a similar situation. Personally she said that the season has been one of rebuilding as she has had some health issues. Yet, she was still able to compete in the mile and the woman’s DMR at conference contributing by running the 400m leg.
Chandler Barnett, a sprinter and hurdler, is coming off of a hamstring injury. Barnett said that his goal is to simply finish the outdoor season healthy. Barnett said he is looking forward to competing at Myrtle Beach for their first outdoor meet as that is somewhere they have never been.
Madeline Holsenback, a thrower on the team who does discus is ready for outdoor season because she does not compete in indoor season, as discus is not thrown indoors. She said that she is very nervous and excited at the same time.
Despite all of their own personal goals and feelings, the team is still able to come together as one.
Justin Toney, manager of the team, said the team is pretty united, and they make each other better while having a good time.
Coach Douglass said, “I think we’re ready for outdoor season.”
When speaking of how the team is able to keep its unity despite the individuality, Douglass said that they practice together, work together and see each other die on the track. The team cheers each other on and encourages each other.
Douglass mentioned how several runners are coming off of injuries, but are preparing for outdoor season. The team will have their first outdoor meet at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina March 10 and 11.
