Men's Track and Field Look to Reclaim Top Spot Outdoors
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College men’s track and field team is fresh off its sixth indoor Landmark Conference title and is in pursuit of a returning to the number one spot outdoors this spring.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College men's track and field team is fresh off its sixth indoor Landmark Conference title and is in pursuit of a returning to the number one spot outdoors this spring. The Greyhounds were selected to finish first in the Landmark Conference coaches preseason poll finishing one vote ahead of Susquehanna University who bumped them from the top spot a year ago.
"We're hoping to continue our success at the conference level from indoors," stated fourth-year Head Coach Jesse Baumann. "In order to do that, we're going to need to maximize the contributions from everyone on the roster since depth becomes so much more important at the outdoor conference meet when you score eight athletes."
With any team you want them to preform to a certain level which takes a lot of focus on what is in front of them. When coming off a big win it's sometimes hard to have perspective on things and as coaches they have to come up with techniques to emphasize what can be achieved.
"As coaches, we stress some of the meets after conference, our top 10 all-time list, school records, etc. It adds another carrot to keep people focused. If we're striving to hit ECAC qualifiers or marks that will get them to the NCAAs, then they'll be in a position to be successful at Landmarks a few weeks prior," commented Baumann.
The squad has 15 of 22 returners that have earned All-Conference honors at some point in their career looking to embark on its seventh conference championship and possibly qualify for ECAC or Nationals. Most recently, sophomore Kahron Walker earned 2015 Landmark Field Athlete of the Year following up his 2014 Rookie of the Year honors last spring, and junior Ryan Karnopp who won the pole vault at ECACs and went on to finished 10th at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Outdoors is a slightly different dynamic, with certain events being added the team will look to other athletes to step up and close the gap while it can play to some of the guys strengths and make them even more dangerous than they were during the indoor season.
"Some of our athletes are better suited for outdoors, obviously the javelin throwers first and foremost, and we're hoping for some big things from Kyle Allison and Michael Guarino this year.
Baumann continued, "Many of the same athletes that excelled for us indoors will do the same outdoors, but by adding some of the events like the discus, 400 hurdles, 10,000m, or just transitioning to wider turns will help athletes like Jeffrey Gallagher and Parker Munson in the throws, Gavin Bailey in the hurdles, or Dillon Farrell and Cory Taggert in the distances. A few of our jumpers, even Ryan Karnopp, have been refining a lot of technical aspects of their events since February so we're expecting big gains from them by the time we hit the outdoor season too."
19 student athletes took home Landmark All-Conference accolades this winter with nine qualifying for ECACs. Returning winter All-Conference include seniors Chris Ossont, Munson, Gallagher, Farrell and Travis Dorsa, juniors Karnopp and Tyler Dwyer, sophomores Jamil Poole, Jordan Sweeney, Bailey, Greg Cahill, Taggert, Matt Barnett and Matt Jones and freshman Eric Morton, Esco Blaylock, Robert Cahill, Mike Kopach and Austin Stetler.
The Blue and Grey prepare to open their spring schedule at Lafayette College for the 7-Way Meet on Sunday, March 29.
