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Track team to compete on
faster banked track
By Greg Doddridge
Staff
Writer
The banked NASCAR tracks at Daytona and Talladegga
produce faster times for the racecar drivers. A hydraulically banked
indoor track at the National Institute for Fitness and Sport in downtown
Indianapolis will do the same for Purdue track athletes this weekend.
The men's track team will be a part of the Butler
Cannon Classic at 3 p.m. today and at 9 a.m. Saturday. Coach Lissa Olson
said this meet, a non-scored competition, will showcase top athletes
from around the country.
"This will actually be the one time our athletes
can see athletes from teams all over the country," said Olson.
Past schools with solid track programs who have
participated in the Cannon Classic include Arizona, Auburn, Texas and
Arkansas.
Because the Boilers will be competing on a banked
track, their times will have to be modified in order to qualify for
the NCAA Indoor Championships. Yet that is not the intention of the
Boilers for this meet.
"Our goals right now are to qualify for the USA
Indoor Championships in Atlanta, so we don't have to add or convert
times for that," said Olson.
She is looking to coax faster times out of freshman
Jacques Reeves in the 200, senior Markus Williams in the 400, and the
team in the 1600-meter relay.
Another focus is on sophomore high jumper Shaun
Guice. He is looking to hit a higher mark after his automatic NCAA indoor
qualification of 7-4 1/2 last week at Illinois. His new goal is to jump
7-6 1/2. Guice said he feels good about being able to hit that. He said
he cleared the bar last week by one-and-a-half to two inches.
"I feel more or less relieved," Guice said, "because
it could have went either way after the first meet when I got hurt."
During the weekend of the Purdue Open when he injured
his leg, Guice said he was bummed. Now, he has a new attitude.
"One of my buddies back home got murdered over
the weekend (of the Purdue Open, Jan. 12). I looked at that and I was
like track isn't … I mean his life was over. I missed a meet and
his life was over. It helped me put things in perspective in what's
really important."
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SPORTS DESK PHONE:
(765) 743-1111
ext. 251
Sports editor:
Paul Trembacki Assistant sports
editor:
Anne
McLaren
To
send a letter to the editor, please email opinions@purdueexponent.org
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