Coming off a first place finish in their first meet and having six individual first place finishes in their last meet, the Augustana men’s track team looks to thrive against some big teams this Friday at the Warhawk Invitational at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Senior and captain Eric Demattia said the Vikings, who won the indoor and outdoor conference titles last season, are hoping to repeat their success.
Fellow senior captain Issac Smith said the Whitewater meet will be a good challenge and a test of their abilities early in the season.
“Whitewater is an exciting meet,”  Smith said. “The competition really ramps up.
Last year at this meet, the Vikings finished first with 108.5 points. They defeated teams such as the UW-Whitewater, UW-LaCrosse, and CCIW rival North Central College.
Despite losing some of their talent and facing good competition, senior captain Austin Burant said the team is looking to score in many events along with focusing on individual scores as well.
“We are seeded very well,” Burant said. “Honestly though, we just want to focus on ourselves.”
The tough competition at the meet will not only allow the Augustana team to work on their personal skills., but it will also bond as a team.
“It’s a great time for everyone to challenge themselves, and hopefully a lot of good times will come out of it,” added Smith.
With the track and field team’s success over the years, the underclassman have a lot of successful people to look up to. Demattia also has faith in the underclassmen to succeed at Whitewater and beyond.
“I believe that they can fill the big shoes left from last years’ seniors” DeMattia said.