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Augustana Observer

1600 relay team goes the extra mile

The+Men%E2%80%99s+Track+and+Field+1%2C600+relay+team+are+recognized+at+a+pep+rally+on+March+24.+From+left%3A+David+Voland%2C+Keith+Cline%2C+David+Devore%2C+and+Isaac+Smith.%0APhoto+by+Linnea+Ritchie.
The Men’s Track and Field 1,600 relay team are recognized at a pep rally on March 24. From left: David Voland, Keith Cline, David Devore, and Isaac Smith. Photo by Linnea Ritchie.

The Men’s Track and Field 1,600 relay team are recognized at a pep rally on March 24. From left: David Voland, Keith Cline, David Devore, and Isaac Smith.  Photo by Linnea Ritchie.
The Men’s Track and Field 1,600 relay team are recognized at a pep rally on March 24. From left: David Voland, Keith Cline, David Devore, and Isaac Smith.
Photo by Linnea Ritchie.

Winning is certainly not everything for the Augustana men’s 1600 meter relay team, even after having won a national title in their event.
At March 14’s Division III National Championship in Greensboro, N.C., seniors David Voland, David Devore and Keith Cline and sophomore Isaac Smith took home the Vikings’ first national title in the men’s 1600 meter relay in recent memory, having defeated UW Oshkosh’s team by .02 seconds.
They even managed to set a new school record with their winning time of 3:15.97. Voland, the team’s anchor runner, said the win left him feeling accomplished and confident about the team’s upcoming outdoor season.
“I felt like we had broken a curse,” said Voland “There was a sense of accomplishment [after the win] and confidence going into the outdoor season.”
Indeed, it was clear that the team was well-equipped to win the national title, as they had finished second at last year’s indoor championship. Voland himself has been on four teams that placed second only by a few tenths of a second, in some cases. He said that this team’s mental focus, however, made an important difference this year.
“We knew what we could (physically) do together, but what meant more than anything is how we thought about things mentally,” said Voland. “Our amount of mental confidence was unmatched.”
Yet despite the big win, the team only saw it as part of a larger theme that ties them together as an individual relay team and members of the larger track team: friendly competition.
David Devore said that means enjoying the time he is able to spend with his teammates and coaches rather than constantly focusing on improving his times.
“When I go into meets saying ‘I’m here with my friends and am going to enjoy the meet,’ that’s when I usually do my best,” said Devore.
For Voland, friendly competition means being grateful for the ability to be able to run, compete, and have fun alongside his close friends.
“This is a special time in our lives where we’re capable of doing this, and we’re fortunate and happy that we can,” said Voland. “If you’re focused on winning championships and not having fun, you’ll look back on those memories and see how unenjoyable it was.”
Keith Cline added that he’s appreciated the opportunity, rather than the pressure, to compete.
“(Coach) Olsen has said time after time that it’s about opportunity, not pressure,” said Cline. “Being able to compete with the friends around you and with people who truly love the sport for what it is, is a wonderful opportunity.”
While each member of the championship-winning team was focused on individual improvement in practice, each was willing to sacrifice what was necessary for the team’s success.
“A big thing that Voland did that was so selfless was that he didn’t compete in the Open 400 [meter race],” said Cline. “I can’t imagine how tough that was for him, but he did it for the team.”
Voland expressed no regrets in not individually competing, but was rather “more content” to share the championship with his teammates.
“I’m content with the national championship we have, because I got to share it with the other guys,” said Voland. “I think that means a lot more, because you really get to celebrate it.”
Though the upcoming outdoor season is the last for most members of the team, they hope to use the championship win as a springboard for success in the season and as an opportunity to pass on their philosophies and examples to their younger teammates.
“The love for our team and our teammates is what’s most awesome (about running track) and I’ll try and pass that on,” said Devore.
“That love and care we have for our team is contagious,” said Voland, “and it starts to catch on, others start to care as well…and they’ll have more of a reason to give it their all.”
Voland, Devore, Cline, and Smith will take their championship-winning philosophies to the track once again when they compete in the Viking Olympics  Friday.

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1600 relay team goes the extra mile