The season is heating up for the KSU track and field team. The Owls are setting records, turning heads and perhaps most importantly, peaking at the right time.
The team had high expectations Friday and Saturday when they traveled to Birmingham, Ala. to compete in the Samford Invitational, and they didn’t disappoint. After posting five record-setting performances in New York City the week before at the New Balance Invitational; three more Owls set personal bests in Birmingham. The Owl’s efforts were highlighted by senior Gwen Jones, whose throw of 18.20m set the school weight throw record on Saturday.
Meanwhile, freshman Greciana Cooper bested her 1 mile record time set in New York, on her way to a 23rd place finish in Birmingham.
The positive results are a welcomed sight for coaches with the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship coming up in two weeks. Coming into the New Balance Invitational, Assistant Coach Agne Eggerth said the team’s goal was to keep improving, and they have. The team handled the large crowds the coach was worried about, and many stepped up on the big stage. These are two things championship teams look for.
The men’s team won the A-Sun Indoor Championship last year and the outdoor title in 2011. After the positive results in Birmingham, the team gets a bye week before they fight to defend their title. Leading the Owls in their attempt to repeat in indoor, is sprinter Sadio Diallo. The senior was impressive his last time out at the New Balance Invitational in New York City. Not only did he win both the 60m and 200m dash, he set the school and event 200m record in the process.
“New Balance was a good meet for us but now we are all turning to the conference championship and hopefully we are going to do better,” Diallo said after the event.
Success isn’t anything new for the 2012 All-Atlantic-Sun selection though. Diallo currently has the top three and four best performances in the 60m and 200m dash respectively, for the Owls this year.
“I’m pretty confident, right now we are ranked 2nd, we have won two years in a row now and we should be able to get a third,” Diallo said.
Cynthia Davis is also turning heads after setting the school record and winning the 200m in New York. She followed up that performance by beating her own record this past week at the Samford Invitational with a time of 24.40 seconds.
The team now has two weeks to prepare for the A-Sun Championship. The event is being held at East Tennessee State, a venue the Owls are very familiar with.
“We pretty much know the facility and it’s a pretty good track and I’m pretty confident, the whole team is pretty much familiar with the facility,” Diallo said.
The team isn’t changing its practice plan for the championship. According to Diallo, the team will stay the course that got them here.
“We’re going to take it step by step, our goal is to win the A-Sun Championship and then we’ll focus on outdoor championships, then we will focus on our aspirations in the NCAA Championships…you have to take it one meet at a time,” Diallo said.
The Owls will return for the A-Sun Championship on Feb. 23-24 in Tennessee.