Amanda Irwin – Page 2 – Houghton STAR

Mary Strand was recently honored with the title of NCCAA Female Track and Field Athlete of the Week. Each week the NCCAA decides on one student athlete from a number of recognized schools to represent the accomplishments within that particular sport. The recipient of the title exemplifies quality performances as well as Christian ideals.

Strand set the new school record for the 200 meters, 4×200 meter relay, and qualified for NCCAA Nationals in the 400 meter during a competition at Brockport State Invitational. At Nationals, held at Indiana Wesleyan University, Strand helped the relay team beat the school record again and placed individually with her best time of the season.

Strand, a sophomore, has been participating in track and field since seventh grade. Although she is mostly a sprinter, she has also trained in other areas and was even part of last year’s JV soccer team.

While Strand is appreciative of this award, she said she will continue to stay focused. Strand said that while running, “you push yourself as far as you can go and then you push yourself further.”
Strand attributes her success to the support of her coach and team. Her captain, Sarah Munkittrick, said there is a lot to learn from Strand, describing her as a hard worker and a perfectionist who still remains humble. Munkittrick also said that Strand “not only pushes the team to work harder but also brings them together.”

Track and field coach, Matthew Dougherty, said those honored with the title of Athlete of the Week are great performers, tremendous athletes and talented individuals, with Mary Strand possessing all of these qualities. Dougherty defined Strand as someone who has strong motivation paired with a ferocity most would not expect, allowing her to achieve anything she sets her mind to.

Strand plans on practicing just as hard in order to continually get better and achieve more later on in meets both as an individual and as a team. Dougherty said that Strand’s position on the team is “integral in terms of chemistry,” helping to inspire others through her talent and fun attitude.

Strand is excited to begin the outdoor track and field season, having used these recent experiences as a preparation phase. She expects to practice and compete with the same determination, progressively challenging herself. Dougherty said that Strand’s disposition is one of a “driven and focused individual who is strong spiritually, academically, and athletically.”

Fourteen of Houghton’s indoor track athletes made it to the the 2013 NCCAA National Championships, and will be competing at Indiana Wesleyan University in men’s and women’s indoor track today and tomorrow, February 15-16.

Courtesy of http://www.campbellsvilletigers.com/

Those competing include Andrew McGinnis, Jordan Cady, Josiah Evans, Tim McGowan, Alyssa Figueroa, Mary Strand, Sarah Munkittrick, Tatum Mcleod, Savannah Doviak, Cara Davenport, Leah Williams, Andrea Melhorn, and Emilie Edwards. Senior Annelise Hein qualified but is unable to attend the meet.

There will be a number of well-ranked schools at the upcoming meet. Senior Captain Andrew McGinnis said he is “pumped to see the intensity of the competition.”

Going into this meet, Smalley said the primary objective is to be “consistently successful in getting better.” A realistic goal would include two All-American Athletes, a National Champion, and more personal bests.

The track teams will have the opportunity to compete in the National Championship meet for the second time in recent years. This meet will conclude the indoor track season that started this past November.

Smalley said that during training an emphasis is put on “learning to compete, to relax, but still be strong and powerful.” Planning around academic schedules and the limited space in the gym made preparing for this meet difficult, Smalley commented.

With about a month before the outdoor season begins, the teams will be fully prepared for the transition. Robert Smalley, assistant coach to the track teams, said, “this is due to the developmental training that has happened up to this point.”

Weekly devotionals help bring the individual athletes together as a team. Both the men and women plan activities to bond. Junior captain Sarah Munkittrick said, “It’s easy to become self-focused. You have to remember you are not just an individual, but a team.”

Athletes must “drive themselves to be better – they don’t have teammates to pick up the slack,” said Smalley. Track is “difficult because you can’t hide in a team,” and Smalley said he hopes that in general the athletes will have learned to compete as individuals who encourage the team.

The team is unique in that “there is no stereotype,” Munkittrick said. All the athletes share a mental toughness that pushes them in essentially competing against themselves.

Junior Alyssa Figueroa agreed that the sport “relies heavily on individual performance, and you must therefore set progressive goals.”

Figueroa recently beat the school record for the triple jump and is the defending National Champion for the 60m dash. As a dual athlete who is also playing soccer, she said that she can see the differences competing in track has made in her running.

Smalley said that “having dual athletes on the team really brings different body types and skills” that are beneficial. “Being a student athlete is difficult, but in the end builds good character.”