The Bobcats have one more stop to make before the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships and that’s to Columbus this weekend in Ohio State Open.
Ohio will compete in the all-day meet Friday. Although Ohio State may bring some competitive athletes, coach Clay Calkins has his eyes on the MAC Indoor Championships.
“Our focus (for Friday) is to get the athletes that are on the bubble to qualify.” Calkins said.
Last weekend in Geneva, the Bobcats broke school records and recorded more MAC Championships-qualifying performances, but Calkins believes there are more qualifying athletes on the roster, specifically in the throwing group.
Janiece Rose, a junior thrower, is on the bubble of qualifying for the MAC Championships after performing well for the Bobcats the past few weekends.
Despite high expectations from Calkins, there were no training differences this week to try to prepare the throwers, but Calkins said the throwers can make it into the pool of qualifiers through a “constant level of competition and repetition and the comfort to hit the big marks.”
As far as the distance runners are concerned, Calkins is still focused on more strong performances from senior Melissa Thompson, who has qualified already for next weekend’s tournament.
Calkins talked about not wanting to over-train her, but wanting to keep her fresh and sharp. Because of that, Calkins plans to run her in shorter events so she is not being over-worked.
“She’s in it to win it, and willing to battle,” Calkins said.
Thompson has to knock off 13 seconds to match the times runners MAC contenders Toledo and Eastern Michigan are running, but Calkins and Thompson know that she is capable of doing that and know that even if she doesn’t drop the time, she’ll finish in the top tier of runners in the one-mile race.
Another competitor on the prowl for the Bobcats is junior Chanda Cuckler. After an over-arching pentathlon finish in the SPIRE Division I Invitational last week, Cuckler showed that she can produce in more areas than just throwing.
All eyes may be on the standout juniors and seniors, but the sophomore class is on the rise. Kristin Winkel and Kayla Scott, a pair of MAC qualifiers, are getting their names out early on in their careers so track fans are sure to not forget their names.
Although this week may have focused on what the Bobcats have been waiting for all season, the MAC Indoor Championship, qualifying isn’t easy and neither is the decision on who to take.
Calkins is allowed three members of his track team to compete in Kent.
So maybe this weekend is who can catch Calkins’ eye and present a good case as to why he should send them to Kent.
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