Less than a week after Winter Quarter began, Ohio will head to Ohio State today for its opening meet of the year: the Buckeye Classic.
Many of the runners are coming off a solid cross-country season. The team placed fourth in the Mid-American Conference Championships with sophomore Emily Pifer placing seventh overall. Her teammate, sophomore Juli Accurso, finished sixth at the NCAA Regionals and placed 36th at the NCAA Nationals, where she set a school record and became an All-American.
But there are questions each year about the runners’ fitness after a long winter break, when they train on their own. Coach Clay Calkins said he is confident his team can move into a strong indoor season, even with a young squad this year.
“We just do the best job we can by trying to stay injury-free during the indoor season, and we do the best job we can with what we have to work with,” Calkins said.
Calkins’ main goal is to avoid injuries during training for the indoor track season. That is why the team has added cross training and aquatic training to help reduce the chance of injury. They practice in The Convo and the indoor tennis facility when possible.
“The indoor season is somewhat short,” Calkins said. “Hopefully, we can start the season off right with this weekend.”
After the Buckeye Classic, the team travels to Kent State Jan. 14 for the Doug Raymond Invitational. The YSU Invite in Youngstown, Ohio rounds out the month. In February, the Bobcats will take part in two meets before returning to Ohio State and then competing in the MAC Championships in Akron.
“Our goal always is to be in the top half of the conference for indoor and outdoor track,” Calkins said.
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