Spring Break
Rams race to success on track
Scott Callahan
Issue date: 1/26/09 Section: Sports
This weekend, the CSU track and field team had a performance full of individual success and achievements, despite the overall MWC loss in the third annual Big XII vs. Mountain West Conference Challenge.
The Rams competed with MWC against three Big XII teams in Lincoln, Neb.: Air Force, Wyoming and CSU represented the MWC, while The Big XII brought Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska.
One CSU athlete walked away with national recognition and a personal best performance. Alex Godell, a senior weight thrower, threw a 35 lb. weight 64 feet, 8 inches, landing on the NCAA provision list. The throw qualifies him for a potential individual bid to the NCAA national championships.
"It's alright; a personal best is a personal best. It's good to start the season that way," Godell said.
Godell finished third in the weight throw event. The two athletes he finished behind were both among the best weight throwers in the country, said head track and field coach Brian Bedard.
Another personal best set this weekend was from Meagan Berg, a sophomore weight thrower for CSU, who threw her weight just shy of 54 feet. She finished fourth in the event; the winner hurled her weight 60 feet, 6 inches.
In distance running, freshman Nicole Peters placed second in the 3,000-meter event. She finished with a time of just over ten minutes and was only three seconds behind first place finisher Joslyn Dalton, who was running for university of Nebraska.
"(Peters) did a nice job of competing with no fear, and just getting after it," Bedard said.
Another athlete with success was junior Tanesha Johnson. She competed in the 60-meter dash and three-hurdle event. Johnson placed first in the sprint with a time of 7.75 seconds and finished third in the hurdle event.
Other individual Rams had solid appearances as well. Sophomore Allison Gohl finished third in the 5,000-meter run. Freshman Colin Anderson finished fourth in the 800-meter run. Wil Buchanan, a junior transfer from Colorado, also finished fourth in the mile run.
CSU has a young team, and for a lot of its participants, this was their first real college competition, Bedard said. Still, he sees potential for a bright future for his team this season. At the same time, some of his team lost focus and effort in competition, which he hopes to remedy this season.
"(The weekend) went like expected," Bedard said. "We have a young team, some handled (the competition) well, some struggled with it."
Indoor track beat writer Scott Callahan can be reached at sports@collegian.com.
The Rams competed with MWC against three Big XII teams in Lincoln, Neb.: Air Force, Wyoming and CSU represented the MWC, while The Big XII brought Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska.
One CSU athlete walked away with national recognition and a personal best performance. Alex Godell, a senior weight thrower, threw a 35 lb. weight 64 feet, 8 inches, landing on the NCAA provision list. The throw qualifies him for a potential individual bid to the NCAA national championships.
"It's alright; a personal best is a personal best. It's good to start the season that way," Godell said.
Godell finished third in the weight throw event. The two athletes he finished behind were both among the best weight throwers in the country, said head track and field coach Brian Bedard.
Another personal best set this weekend was from Meagan Berg, a sophomore weight thrower for CSU, who threw her weight just shy of 54 feet. She finished fourth in the event; the winner hurled her weight 60 feet, 6 inches.
In distance running, freshman Nicole Peters placed second in the 3,000-meter event. She finished with a time of just over ten minutes and was only three seconds behind first place finisher Joslyn Dalton, who was running for university of Nebraska.
"(Peters) did a nice job of competing with no fear, and just getting after it," Bedard said.
Another athlete with success was junior Tanesha Johnson. She competed in the 60-meter dash and three-hurdle event. Johnson placed first in the sprint with a time of 7.75 seconds and finished third in the hurdle event.
Other individual Rams had solid appearances as well. Sophomore Allison Gohl finished third in the 5,000-meter run. Freshman Colin Anderson finished fourth in the 800-meter run. Wil Buchanan, a junior transfer from Colorado, also finished fourth in the mile run.
CSU has a young team, and for a lot of its participants, this was their first real college competition, Bedard said. Still, he sees potential for a bright future for his team this season. At the same time, some of his team lost focus and effort in competition, which he hopes to remedy this season.
"(The weekend) went like expected," Bedard said. "We have a young team, some handled (the competition) well, some struggled with it."
Indoor track beat writer Scott Callahan can be reached at sports@collegian.com.
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