With freezing temperatures outside, it’s hard to believe Murray State’s spring sports are in full swing.
Today starting at 10 a.m. the women’s track and field squad have a meet at Eastern Tennessee State for the Niswonger Invitational in Johnson City, Tenn. The meet continues on Saturday Jan. 19.
This is the team’s first meet after Winter Break. The track and field squad has been preparing all week for event. Head Coach Jennifer Severns said the team has been working hard at the practices as usual.
“Some of the kids did not come back as fit as I would have hoped so we have a lot of work to do,” she said. “I want to see improvements from this past weekend. I would like to see everyone get a little better; that is all you can ask for at this point in the season.”
Last weekend the team competed at the Saluki Open in Carbondale, Ill., where it received four top-five finishes and two more sixth-place finishes.
All-American Alexis Love, senior from Palmetto, Fla., said her personal goal for this meet is to run a personal best.
“For the 60-meter and 200-meter I would like to finish in a much higher ranking than I did last year,” she said. “My main goal is to move forward and carry on my success from the previous season.”
Sharda Bettis, junior from Dallas, Texas, said her team goal would be to try and get better than third this year.
There are a total of 29 schools at the meet today. The events that will be going on range from 20-meter hurdles and pole vaults to 200-meter dashes and 400-meter runs.
Up next for the Racers is the Indiana Relays on January 25 and 26 in Bloomington, Ind.
Story by Collette Anderson, Contributing writer