After setting multiple school records over the weekend at the University of Washington Invitational, the UC Davis track and field team will have a week’s rest under its belt before the all-comers meet on Saturday. Head coach Drew Wartenburg and the rest of the coaches came out of the Evergreen State satisfied.
“We approached the meet hoping to set a positive tone both for the indoor and the outdoor season,” Wartenburg said. “Starting Friday afternoon, with the early events continuing all through Saturday competition, the coaching staff was pleased across the board with the results that we got from the athletes, so it was a great weekend.”
Wartenburg also said this past week has been a good gauge of how the team is doing so far this year.
“In a general sense, we’re probably a little bit ahead of where we were last year at this time, which is always a good measure,” he said.
With a set roster, only a few athletes from the track and field team will be in action Saturday at Woody Wilson Track. A variety of events will take place, including the 4×200 meter relay, the mile race, 55m hurdles, 400m and 550m runs, 4x800m relay and 4x400m relay for the track portion. The field events include pole vault, high jump, long jump, triple jump, shot put and discus.
“The all-comers meet is a good opportunity to get some competition in. It doesn’t count as a team event, so the athletes will be competing unattached,” Wartenburg said. “They’re not in uniform, but it’s a great way to get a competition setting and a comfortable environment at our home track. And it’s a good chance to see the results of the training we’ve done up until now, especially for people who aren’t able to travel and compete indoors.”
Tickets will be $5 for spectators and coaches and $3 for children who are 12 years of age and younger.
After the practice meet, the track and field team will head up again to Washington for a three-day event. Despite the success of last weekend, the team is not worried about getting into the record books, but staying focused on what is ahead.
“Part of the way we really encourage to approach competition is to compete first, strive for best efforts, and in the process, records will come,” Wartenburg said. “ We don’t like to chase records, but I think as training continues to progress, we’re going to have people go up and have some performances that will be record-type performances. More importantly, we’ll be competitive with teams and the athletes we’ll get to see at the Husky invite in a couple of weeks.”
— Luke Bae
