Indoor Track Holds RACC Classic, Scannapieco Attempts School Record
Scrimmage Schedule │ Fast Times Live Results
ALBANY, N.Y. – Unlike the cross country runners who have competed throughout the fall season, the University at Albany indoor track student-athletes have been in preseason training since they arrived on campus in August without any live competition to speak of. That will change starting on Friday, when UAlbany hosts the 21st annual RACC Classic Intrasquad and Alumni Scrimmage.
Two events will be held in the UAlbany Bubble on Friday, December 5. The Scrimmage will officially begin at 4:00 p.m. with the weight throw. The women will compete before the men. At 4:30 p.m., the men and women will compete in the pole vault. Competition will then close until Monday, December 8 at 3:00 p.m., at which point the high jump will begin in the SEFCU Arena and the shot put will begin in the Bubble. Track events begin at 4:30 p.m. with the 500-meter run, though distance runners will complete a 3-mile run outside at 3:30 p.m., followed by a 3,000-meter run on the outdoor track at 3:50 p.m.
“Track has the longest preseason of any sport on campus,” said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Roberto Vives. “We have been training since August, and the first meet isn't until January. It is a challenge to keep up the motivation for such a long time.”
“To combat that, we create test efforts for the student-athletes throughout the season,” Vives continued. “We use these to simulate competition, and also as a means to allow the student-athletes to see their progression through the preseason.”
The long preseason for the track team stands in contrast to the cross country team, which actually competes while track is still in training. Since the cross country runners will continue on to compete in the track seasons, different considerations have to be taken when training these two groups.
“For the cross country athletes we are concerned about fatigue from a full competition schedule,” said Vives. “So we'll limit how many times they race in-season, and shut them down in November to allow a full transition period before track begins in January.”
“For the track athletes, the biggest concern is complacency, due to the lack of live competition,” Vives continued. “That's where the test efforts come in, and those test efforts culminate in the RACC Classic.”
Ultimately, the Classic is used as a measuring stick for the student-athletes as the preseason finally begins to wind down. But more than a month lies between the RACC Classic and the first official meet in January, including the semester break, which raises its own concerns.
“The coaches really want to emphasize the protection of the progress and the fitness the student-athletes have made through the preseason,” Vives said. “We want to instill in them the understanding that they need to work hard through the intersession, because we won't be with them during that time. They'll have to train on their own, and they'll really have to focus and commit to it if they want to be successful.”
Also competing this weekend is senior Alfonso Scannapieco, whose eligibility expires at the end of the semester. Scannapieco will travel to Lehigh University to compete in the heptathlon at the Fast Times before Finals meet, where he hopes to break the school record which currently stands at 5,262 points. David Parker set the record in 2008. Scannapieco stands third all-time in the heptathlon with 5,202 points.
“Alfonso is more than capable of breaking the school record, and as a senior he wants to leave a certain legacy before he leaves the program,” Vives said. “He also wants to continue competing after he graduates, and is looking to hit the USATF Indoor standard of 5,450 points.”
Scannapieco's primary event is the pole vault, for which he has a personal best mark of 17'-6.5”, which is tied with Luke Schoen for the best outdoor mark in school history. Scannapieco matching mark of 17'-6.5” ranks second behind Schoen's 17'-9” mark in the indoor pole vault. Scannapieco has represented UAlbany in the pole vault at outdoor national championships in 2013. During his senior season, Scannapieco won the pole vault and placed second in the long jump at the America East Indoor Championships. He also won the pole vault at the IC4A Indoor Championships. During the outdoor season, Scannapieco placed sixth in the championship section of the pole vault at Penn Relays, and placed second in the pole vault and third in the long jump at the America East Outdoor Championships.
“It's technically a first meet for Alfonso, so that becomes a challenge,” said Vives. “He can score a lot of points in the pole vault, and he's been improving in the throws, sprints, and hurdles through his training for this event.”
The coaching staff, including Todd Wolin who works with the multis athletes, examined several early meets for Scannapieco to give him the best chance for success in the heptathlon. After considering meets at Cornell and Manhattan College, they ultimately selected Lehigh, which historically has been the best of the early meets for multis events.
“Lehigh has a good facility for multis,” Vives said. “It's a 200-meter flat track with wide turns, and the jumping and throwing pits have had some good performances for the multis events. It's not like Alfonso will require a track with banked turns like a sprinter, he'll only be running a 1,000 at the very end, and the hurdles are on a straightaway, for which there are small differences between facilities.”
Scannapieco leaves Friday with Coach Wolin. The heptathlon starts Friday afternoon at 5:15 p.m. with the 60-meter dash, followed by the long jump, shot put, and high jump. On Saturday, Scannapieco will compete in the final three events starting with the 60-meter hurdles at 10:00 a.m., followed by the pole vault and ultimately concluding with the 1,000-meter run.
