Indoor Track Returns To Boston For Last Chance Meet; Cherry-Bronson At USA Nationals
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ALBANY, N.Y. – Last weekend, the University at Albany indoor track program swept the America East Indoor Championships for the third consecutive year, with the men's team claiming its 10th consecutive victory and the women's team claiming its third consecutive and fifth in six years. This weekend, the Great Danes will return to Boston to compete in Boston University's Last Chance Meet to allow one final opportunity for the student-athletes to hit the necessary qualifying standards to continue their seasons.
“This week has mostly been a recovery week for the student-athletes after conference championships,” said Directory of Track & Field and Cross Country Roberto Vives. “We've transitioned back to work, and gotten back into the weight room. The work is done for the most part, and now we're focusing on staying sharp.”
The Great Danes will be running at BU's Track and Tennis Center for the second of three times this season. Previously, the men and women competed in BU's Valentine Invitational, which served as a final tune-up meet the week before conference championships. Next week will mark the third and final trip to BU, for IC4A and ECAC Championships.
“The athletes going to Boston this weekend are very motivated, and aware that it is potentially their last meet,” said Vives. “And they're still fresh because of the new model we've utilized this season. They've only run in five meets so far, and some of them have only run in four, so they'll be ready to go.”
So far this season, the Great Danes have compiled 34 individual IC4A and ECAC qualifiers, in addition to six relay qualifiers. This weekend is the final opportunity on the calendar to qualify for any late-season championship meets, including IC4A and ECAC championships, as well as national championships. Individuals looking to qualify for nationals need to rank within the top-16 in their event on the national performance list.
Most of the student-athletes who have already satisfied qualifying standards will sit out this weekend in preparation for IC4A and ECAC championships. Those running are either looking to hit a qualifying mark, or gain more experience with their event.
“Grace Claxton is in a heat with an Olympian, and she's looking to run her best event fresh and with good competition,” Vives said. “Nathan Hiett is excited for the pole vault, where he can experiment in a better environment than we have on campus. The bubble, where we practice, is very cold, so he'll use the opportunity this weekend to try to get on some bigger poles. Jason Tomlinson is hoping to break 48 in the 400, since he'll be running the 500 at IC4A's.”
Last chance meets are difficult to gauge in terms of quality of competition. Presumably, those in attendance are in the running to hit postseason qualifying marks, but there are also smaller fields and a slightly different atmosphere than other meets.
“Sometimes there are only a handful of competitors in each event,” Vives said. “It actually is a benefit for the jumpers, who could potentially end up waiting an hour in between jumps at some of the bigger meets. With the smaller fields they can stay engaged in their events more easily with the shorter waiting time between attempts. Additionally, the traditional competitive nature of meets is pushed aside somewhat in favor of a more cooperative atmosphere. Everyone here is trying to hit a standard, rather than beat their opponents, so the student-athletes tend to push one another to hit those marks.”
Additionally, Briana Cherry-Bronson has qualified in the women's weight throw for USA Indoor Nationals, which will be held at the Reggie Lewis Center, also in Boston. The close proximity of the two facilities and the breakdown of the schedules between the two meets will allow Cherry-Bronson to compete in both meets this weekend. Cherry-Bronson is the first UAlbany representative to attend USA Indoor Nationals since Gered Burns placed seventh in the men's 800 in 2005.
“Briana is our first ever thrower to attend indoor nationals,” said Vives. “It's a reflection of the effort we've put in to growing our throws program, and you can see the results of that in the year since Deshaya Williams was brought on to coach the throwers.”
“Briana has all the tools to be successful,” Vives continued. “She's been in these kinds of meets before, and will see great competition. For her, a mark can come at any time.”
The Last Chance Meet begins Sunday, March 1 at 11:00 a.m. with the women's long jump, high jump, shot put, and pole vault. The track events begin at 12:00 p.m. with the men's 60 hurdles. Cherry-Bronson is scheduled to compete in the weight throw on Saturday, Feburary 28 at 12:30 p.m.
