On Feb. 5 and Feb. 6, ETSU hosted a limited-attendance Buccaneer Track & Field Invitational inside of the Mini-Dome.
The conclusion of day one ended with numerous Buccaneers standing out amongst the competition — Lindsey Stallworth (Knoxville, Tennessee) netted the fastest mile run, Gavin Cooper (Jacksboro, Tennessee) surged his way to first place in the men’s 3000-meter run and Jessica Lord (Morristown, Tennessee) landed at the top of the leaderboards in the women’s 800-meter run.
Miguel Parilla (Knoxville, Tennessee), Matt Scarr (Wamberal, New South Wales, Australia) and Margaret Hayden (Ballymore Eustace, Kildare, Ireland) also ran away from the competition, as they claimed the top spots within their own individual events on day one of the invitational.
Day two of the event was much of the same story, as Kennedi Johnson (Nashville, Tennessee) leaped her way to number one in the women’s 60-meter hurdle, while a great portion of the ETSU roster set new personal records.
George Watts, director of men’s and women’s track & field, felt satisfied with his team’s performance, noting how thrilled his team was to finally get back into action after the Invitational was cancelled earlier in January.
“It was a disappointment for the kids not to be able and compete in the first meet, so I think they were really looking forward to running on their home track,” said Watts. “They ran hard and competed hard, I was pleased with their effort. It’s really important that we continue to take advantage of every opportunity.”
Just under a year ago, Watts’ team was forced to cancel their season after only competing in less than 25% of their schedule — it seems that his team is picking up where they left off, as 28 Buccaneers set new personal records during the home event.
And though this kind of success is nothing new for ETSU’s Track & Field squad, Watts’ assures that his team’s triumphant tendencies are all but coincidental, as the program prepares year-round for their moment, taking very few breaks, while also forming a true sense of camaraderie with one another — all of these antidotes manifested into a successful event, despite the invitational’s unusual circumstances.
“This wasn’t the normal kind of meet we have, in a sense that we had three times as many teams there. But we definitely have the team unity aspect of it down,” said Watts.
Looking ahead, the team certainly has their eyes set on the prize. And thought there are still plenty of events to partake in, there is little denying Watts’ personal expectations for his team.
“The expectation never changes, you always want to be in the top tier of your conference,” said Watts. “There’s hope that we’ll be on the podium, which is top three — we expect those performances.”
