The Bob Jones University Bruins men’s and women’s track teams are gearing up for their second season this spring.
In their opening season last year, the Bruins track teams had several members qualify for the national championship, and one athlete received the NCCAA’s Wheeler Award, a special individual award for excellence.
“We had a positive, positive season,” Bruins track coach Landon Bright said.
Coach Bright said the top goals for the track team this season are to develop speed in each athlete and to qualify as many runners as they can for the national championship meet later this spring.
“For each person running on the team, the goal is to simply improve from where they started off,” track team member Sarah Sheridan said.
“As a team we could be stronger and really excel if we give it our everything this season,” she said.
Training for the track season started as soon as the track teams returned to BJU from Christmas break.
Some of the training includes having each athlete run six days a week with harder workouts two or three days a week.
Most of the workouts focus on speed and strength.
“The training for track has quicker workouts and focuses more on speed work [than cross country does]” Sheridan said.
“As a whole, we’re getting stronger because running shouldn’t have an off season, and we’re getting ready for cross country next year,” she said.
Coach Bright said almost every member of the track teams also runs for the Bruins cross country teams as well.
“Not everyone races every meet,” Coach Bright said. “For some it’s a training period; for some it’s a heavy racing period.”
The first meet of the 2017 season will be held March 18 at Lenoire-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina.
One of the biggest meets of the season will come on April 8 when the Bruins travel to Southern Wesleyan University.
In the past, the Bruins have done well at the SWU meet, making it an important meet of the season, Coach Bright said.
Another important meet will be at the University of South Carolina on April 22—the teams’ last meet before the national championship.
The NCCAA national championship will be held this May at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma.