Ball State track and field has battled diversities all outdoor season long. This week, it finally gets a break. Some of the team will go to North Carolina State, and the rest of the team will go to University of Cincinnati, both with weather over 60 degrees, something the team hasn’t ran in since October.
The team’s schedule is gradually getting more competitive as the season goes on to prepare for the conference championship.
“We will probably do really, really well. That is how I set up the schedule. The quality of competition escalates as we go. This will be the first time we really get a chance to look at what our team looks like,” said head coach Brian Etelman.
Only three distance runners, freshman Cayla Eckenroth, sophomore Maritza Rodriguez and sophomore Peyton Kneadler, are going to North Carolina State because it is perfect weather for them to run their meet. The rest of the team will travel to the University of Cincinnati and compete if they are healthy.
Sophomore Peyton Stewart is excited to get back and run in her primary event.
“I’m excited. This is my third year doing this and coming off of a MAC champ last year," Stewart said. "So, I think having that experience is making me more excited than nervous. Of course, you have those jitters when you get to the line, but I feel like going into it staying excited [and] staying positive will be good. I think we will do well. We are all excited and ready to compete. This is the first meet where we will all be running in our own specialized event, so I think everyone is excited to see where they are at individually.”
Last weekend, only six distance runners went to the Polar Bear Invitational, so Etelman put on a mock meet for those who didn’t travel, and he thinks it helped prepare them for the meets this weekend.
“We did a really good job that day, and that was not in the best conditions. So, yeah, the throwers are throwing out of their mind; these guys are doing a good job doing the high jump,” Etelman said. “So, it just kind of kept everyone focused a little bit. I don’t think this weekend will be a big shock to anyone by any means.”
Freshman Princess Carter, freshman Emmalyne Tarsa and senior Adrienne Mayfield are all having their outdoor season debuts this weekend, and Etelman is excited to see what they can do with their first big meet of the season.
“I’m interested to see Princess Carter, our freshman in the discus. She was really good in high school, and this will be her first meet throwing a disc, so I imagine that will go pretty well. Amber Jones in the 400 has a really good shot to put something out there. I’m interested to see what Emmalyne Tarsa can do in the steeple; she’s never run one in her life, and it’s kind of the reason we brought her here,” Etelman said.
The Cardinals will compete in their two-day meets in Ohio at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational and North Carolina at the Raleigh Relays.
Contact Olivia Adams with comments at omadams@bsu.edu.
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