ALBANY, N.Y. – The final stretch of the 2018 outdoor season has begun and the University at Albany track & field team will send a program record 16 student-athletes to this year's NCAA East Preliminary Championships.
To qualify for prelims, a student-athlete must rank within the top-48 in his or her event in each region, or in the top 24 for a relay. To advance to NCAA Outdoor Championships, a student-athlete or relay team must finish in the top 12 at their respective preliminary championship meet.
Two weeks ago, the Great Danes competed at the IC4A and ECAC Outdoor Championships at Princeton University. There, the women's team won their first-ever ECAC Outdoor title, winning four events and outscoring runner-up Princeton 67-54.
“We went there with no expectations for a team title,” said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Roberto Vives. “We just put athletes in individual events, and we didn't double anyone. And all of a sudden we won four events and found ourselves winning the meet. It was one of those moments where quality counts. Our 4x100m had a mishap and left 10 points on the table, but this is our best women's team ever. It was great to go out there and beat teams like Princeton and Yale and Cornell.”
The men placed sixth among the IC4A field, two points ahead of seventh-place Cornell and six points behind fifth place Princeton. Navy won the meet with 72 points, outpacing runner-up Northeastern, scoring 63 points.
“We didn't' do badly on the men's side,” said Vives. “We finished in the top 10 and we left two of our regional qualifiers home so they can be 100% healthy for this week. Our guys challenged for the title.”
The biggest change to the IC4A and ECAC Outdoor Championship format was the elimination of trial rounds for everything except the 100m and high hurdles events. Everything else was run on a timed final.
“Running one round didn't really work in our favor this time because of the weather,” said Vives. “It was rainy and it was cold. But we like the new format because it really gives the student-athlete the best opportunity to get regional marks.”
The Great Danes qualified a total of 17 student-athletes to this year's NCAA East Preliminary Championships, which will be held at the University of South Florida. One, Matthew Campbell, will not compete following a season-ending injury, and two are alternates on the women's 4x100m relay.
“We have 14 competitors, but we're traveling with 16, two of whom are alternates for the relays,” said Vives. “And with Matthew, who qualified but won't be competing, we have 17, so we came really close to our goal of 20. Two years ago we brought 10 to East Prelims, which at that time was our most ever. When there were four regions and conference champions automatically qualified we had good numbers, but this is the first time under the new format we've brought more than 10.”
By this point in the season, after two weekends of championship meets have steadily parsed down the roster size, the training becomes much more focused. Additionally, with the conclusion of IC4A and ECAC Outdoor Championships, the Great Danes wrapped a stretch featuring five consecutive weekends of competition. Since then, the team has been able to restart their training to take advantage of the two week break.
“This is the best time of the year because you can do focused training and individual training,” said Vives. “The weather turns so you can do more quality work. And you can spend more time on the mental side as well, talking with the student-athletes and preparing them to compete on this level. At this point a lot of it is mental. I think they feel ready, and we're looking forward to a great meet down there.”
The group that will compete at the East Preliminary Championships this year represents a collection of talent that ranks among the highest in program history.
“It shows our significant growth in the program. You're always in the process of arriving, but we're really close to arriving,” said Vives. “Even something as small as the tent communicates your presence. This year we're going to have a 20x20 tent alongside the elite programs like LSU and Florida and Alabama. Mentally, we're starting to move in a direction where our student-athletes are no longer just happy to have qualified, but are now looking to qualify for the next level as well.
“We already have two in the top 12 in Devon Willis and Walter Briggs,” Vives continued. “If they finish where they're seeded they'll go to nationals. Our women's 4x100m relay is ready for a breakthrough. They haven't seen this level of competition since Penn Relays. Kinglsey has been 13th in the past, missing qualifying by one place, and Anika is knocking on the door. For our distance runners, now you throw times about the window and now it's who can compete.”
While for the majority of the season the focus for the student-athletes is to hit the qualifying times necessary to compete in the championship meets, including East Preliminaries, once this meet arrives the focus turns more towards earning a high enough place to advance even further and beating the people around you. Performance marks within the meet become a secondary concern.
“We're letting them know what it takes to advance,” said Vives. “Now it's about place. They got a dress rehearsal of that environment at conference championships where you need to beat people head-to-head to score points. I think we're prepared.”
Within the group are veterans of this meet and other big meets, such as high jumper Kingsley Ogbonna, who is one of three Great Danes ever to clear seven feet in the high jump and has missed qualifying for NCAA Outdoor Championships by one place, as well as newcomers like Sidney Gibbons and Hannah Reinhardt who have had tremendous success this season but have yet to compete on this specific stage.
“Someone like Kinglsey has been there before and knows it his last shot,” said Vives. “He'll have to be clean early and straight through. For the newcomers, they've run at big meets already and have had success on the conference level. It's about being prepared to go. I think not having finals and school allows them to be relaxed. We're going down a day early, and we'll go to the facility to familiarize them with everything.”
At this point, the work has been done and it's up to the student-athletes to go out and perform to the best of their ability to put themselves in the best position to have success in whatever form that may take this weekend.
“The final message is that this meet is for them,” said Vives. “They have been committed and dedicated. And now that you've earned this it's time to go out and make great memories.”
NCAA East Preliminary Championships begin Thursday, May 24 at 11:30 a.m.
