Men’s and Women’s track teams kick off season by setting records

By Jett Johnson

Sports Editor

Men’s and women’s track & field had a strong start to the season at the Ramapo College Season Opener in New York City.

Three records were broken at the opener in the 60m dash timed at 6.93 by freshman Zion Griffin, men’s long jump with a leap of 6.30m by freshman Dayton Floyd, and 400m dash with a school record of 50:19 by junior Lucas Baggott.

Austin Selby, head coach, is encouraged by this performance.

“Feeling really good. It was great to have the early in-town rust buster at Vanderbilt. It led to us having overall one of our best meets we have ever had up in NYC,” said Selby.

The men’s team has had a strong start this year, and Selby thinks it could be a sign of a successful year.

“I think this will be the first year where we truly lean on the sprints to score points for us at least on the men’s side. The key is we are becoming balanced where we can score points from field events, sprints, and distance,” said Selby.

Drew Randolph, junior men’s track & field athlete also sees potential in this team, and is encouraged by the improvements.

“I’m incredibly excited about this season. Not only have we seen significant growth in the size and talent of our athlete roster, but our coaching staff has also expanded, contributing to our well-rounded team. It’s been a joy to witness this collective growth over the years,” said Randolph.

Having a combined seventeen upperclassmen from both teams gives Selby confidence against serious competition.

“Ultimately, their experience at high level and big meets are key for keeping our folks put together and ready from competition. Some meets can at times just feel like you are back in high school, but when you line up against teams that are winning national championships, and against all

Americans, or being at meets that feature Olympians as well, you can get nervy. So having folks that have been there before is vital,” said Selby.

Ruth Penney, junior women’s track & field athlete, is looking to capitalize on her experience and encourage the team to be better on and off the field.

“As an upperclassman on the team, I try to lead by example to create an encouraging and productive team experience. This season our team is emphasizing the Christian and Scholar aspects of the program so a big part of that is leading by example in those areas of our lives as well both at and outside of practice,” said Penney.

Penney thinks both teams will finish strong considering the improvement she’s seen in her years at Trevecca.

“I think our team is going to see a lot of success across the board by the end of the season. Our team is set up well to take people to more competitive meets, such as the Bryan Clay Meet in LA this spring. I think we have moved up a lot in the GMAC conference since my freshman season and that will be reflected at our conference meet at the end of the season,” said Penney.

Selby thinks the teams will finish strong, and having a culture change will be a big part of that success.

“We have a much higher focus on team culture this year. We are leaning even more heavily into the Christian side of our athletic department’s motto. Our focus is to be humble, people of peace, and loving in all that we do. I believe starting out this way this spring has been crucial in bringing the team together, as well as some of our performances. When people are supporting one another, realizing the identity is not in their performance, it actually frees them up to do better than they ever thought they could, and I believe we are seeing that already,” said Selby.