103 personal records were broken and set in the Augustana record book for the track and field team during the St. Ambrose Tune-Up meet. The team has made many individual and team personal and overall records that contribute to points for the last meet of the season, the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) championships. They are finishing the indoor season with three meets to go while having the outdoor season ahead of them.
The main thing the athletes have worked on to prepare for meets is key performance indicators, also known as KPIs. These help athletes set goals and cultivate the right mindset and training to meet those goals.
“It’s about keeping the things that I know I do well in my head and not trying to hyper-fixate on anything,” Sophomore AJ Banks said. Banks broke the school record for the 60-meter hurdles while also becoming 3rd all-time for the same event. “I would rather capitalize on that to make me faster rather than trying to find a bunch of new things that are gonna get my mind all screwed up.”
These athletes have worked hard since the beginning of the summer to achieve these personal bests and maintain their strength and endurance throughout the rest of the season. The season never really stops–the athletes only get two weeks off and then immediately begin summer training. Without hard work and perseverance throughout the year, they would not be as successful as they are currently.
“[Training] really starts [during the summer], doing that, and then we only do a few practices a week in the fall semester,” senior Lauren Oelke said. “If you really follow the plan and what you are supposed to be doing, that helps.”
Even with training year-long, the team is still training hard. They have been working through tiring practice while they are still in their loading phase–not yet pushing to 100 percent to store energy for indoor conference championships.
“Everyone has been just like doing so well when we’re still in our loading phase—this is our max loading week, this week where we’re going at 110% capacity,” senior McKenzie Reser said. Reser recently became the 1st all-time in the 40 and 60-meter dash. “Practices have been extremely tiring, but the fact that we are still going crazy at meets is just showing that we are still only getting started.”
While working hard and starting early with summer training contributes to success, head coach Chad Gunnelson can take credit for helping lead the team’s good performance. This is his second season with the Vikings. Having a stable coach has aided the team in improving to get to their best abilities.
“It truly sets the foundation for improvement,” Oelke said. “If you are going through coaches all the time, or if there was just a bad coach, you are not gonna grow the same as when you have a knowledgeable, stable coach. He knows what he’s doing, and for him to come here and really reshape the program has been everything.”
Having a really good relationship with teammates also aids in individual and team improvement by fostering better communication, trust and motivation, which leads to stronger teamwork, increased performance and a more positive playing environment.
“We are doing incredible things right now, and I think it is just because of our training and the support that we have for each other,” Oelke said. “Our energy at meets is everything. When you have the energy there from your teammates, you’re going to do a lot better running an event rather than having no one cheer.”
