Taylor Smith, a senior high jumper, has battled tendonitis in her left knee during the indoor track season.
Anna Michael, a senior sprinter, has been out for the entire indoor season because of a hamstring injury.
Smith and Michael are just two athletes who have struggled with injuries. As a team, Ohio has tried to manage injuries as best as possible.
The Bobcats will meet Ohio State in Columbus on Friday at the Buckeye Tune-Up, the team’s last meet before the Indoor Mid-American Conference Championship.
“We try to do everything we can to get (them) on our return-to-run or return-to-jump program so that their injury doesn’t affect them for an extended period of time,” coach Clay Calkins said.
Along with Smith and Michael, Gracie Huffman, one of the Bobcats’ best 400-meter runners, is out with a stress fracture.
Though the Bobcats have struggled with injuries, they’ve had a solid indoor season. At their last meet, the Marshall Invitational, four athletes posted personal bests. Gaza Odunaiya, a sophomore weight thrower, placed fourth with a personal-best throw that reached 17.60 meters.
Along with Odunaiya, senior Olivia Mayfield posted a personal-best in the 60-meter dash, finishing in 7.9 seconds.
Despite the Bobcats’ solid season, their running events may not be as strong as their field events, but opinions on that subject differ within the team.
“We have a lot of good throwers, and high jump I normally do well, but this season has been kind of rough,” Smith said.
Despite Smith saying the field events are better, Calkins wouldn’t totally agree.
“All the events are very competitive,” he said. “It’s a well-rounded conference, and we just want to be as competitive as possible in as many events as possible.”
Perhaps the Bobcats are better in the field events, but with their injuries, everyone needs to support each other in a sport that stresses individuality.
Michael hasn’t been able to compete, but she has helped in being Ohio’s lead supporter. If someone isn’t happy about a practice, she lets them vent.
“We’ve all had those bad days,” Michael said. “It’s really good to have someone to talk to.”
The Bobcats’ team chemistry is sound, and that’s a necessary component for their success individually as well as a team.
“There’s a big divide in track teams naturally because everyone has their different events,” Michael said. “So at meets it’s a really big thing for teams to be supportive.”
