The short break between the indoor and outdoor seasons was a breath of fresh air for men's track head coach Jim Sprecher.
After a month off, though, Sprecher will now turn toward the outdoor season, which he feels will be a continuation of the indoor season, but with a more experienced squad.
"I thought that our confidence grew by leaps and bounds (from the indoor season)," Sprecher said. "A lot of these guys had been living in the shadows of their teammates."
The Cards, who were seventh at the MAC Indoor Championships, will continue their 2003 campaign when they start their outdoor season by hosting Mid-American Conference foe Miami and Tri-State in a triangular meet this Saturday.
There are events offered in the outdoor season that are not available in the indoor season, including javelin throw, hammer throw, discus and steeplechase.
Sophomore throwers Kyle Cleaver and Matt Conly are both expected to become more serious threats due to their specialty in some of these events.
Sprecher said the different events in the outdoor season almost make the Cardinals a different team from the indoor season. Another impact athlete in the outdoor season will be Steve Samuel, who is one of the best steeplechasers in the conference.
During the period between the indoor and outdoor seasons, the team trained heavily in order to keep up its momentum. The ultimate goal is to peak around May when the MAC Championships occur.
"As far as from a strategy standpoint, we start all over again from the indoor season and hit our peak performances at the end of the outdoor season when it counts," Sprecher said.
The Ball State men's track team will look to its leaders as well as solid finishes from the younger athletes Saturday. The meet will begin at 11 a.m., and field events and running events will begin at 1 p.m.
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