Track and Field prepares for CC Championship
Collin Bergey enters the Centennial Conference Championships ranked 10th in the 60-meter dash. Photo Courtesy of David Sinclair
By Bethany Holtz, Contributing Writer
With the Centennial Conference Championships less than a week away, the men and women’s track and field teams are hard at work preparing and perfecting their skills. Head Coach Aubrey Shenk is hoping that his team can improve their standings from last season and secure positions in the upcoming NCAA Division III Championships.
So far this season, the men and women’s teams have showed a solid effort. The men’s team placed 10th out of19and5thoutof12in the only two meets with team scores, while the women’s team placed 15th out of 20 and 3rd out of 11.
Just this past weekend at the Susquehanna Open, several Bullets proved that they are ready for the upcoming championships. Sophomore Travis Andrews won the long jump and classmate Katie McCoubrie took second in the triple jump. Also, breaking the top five were first years Amanda Asaro and Claire Martin, sophomores Abby Bull and Emily Hartmann, junior Taylor Flatau, and seniors Alex Bull and Jackie Marotto.
Two Bullets even man- aged to place in the top ranks of Gettysburg’s school records at last weekend’s meet. McCoubrie posted a mark of 15-5 1⁄2 in the long jump, which vaulted her to fifth in the school history in the event. Sophomore Cynthia Greenberg rose to third in the school’s history in the 800 with her time of 2:26.60.
Team Captain Flatau thinks that her team, as well as the men’s team, has the potential to do well next weekend. Flatau explained, “We did okay last meet and we have been working hard all season to get into shape. There are a lot of strong individuals on the team who will put out a good effort in the conference. ”
Flatau said the team will continue to work hard this week to prepare. All six assistant coaches and Head Coach Shenk have designed a week of practices that will fine-tune the Bullet’s skills. While many players groaned at the sound of extra work, they all agreed it’s time to get serious.
Head Coach Shenk commented that Johns Hopkins University and Haverford College pose significant threats, but he believes that the Bullets have a very strong chance. Coach Shenk happily remarked, “This team’s attitude and commitment has been outstanding so far. They have the work ethic necessary to succeed.”
Coach Shenk continued that he believes this team can improve over last season’s squad. Last season, Shenk and his staff coached sopho- more Katie Cavanuagh to the NCAA Division III Championships, the women’s team’s first indoor national qualifier in five years. The 2012-13 team also produced 60 new entries into Gettysburg’s all-time top-10 lists, and seven Bullets combined to break or tie nine school records, a pattern this year’s team is clearly on their way to copying.
As the winter season draws to an end, the Bullets are ready to prove themselves.
Most of the team is looking forward to the conferences and progressing on to outdoor season. Sophomore Carolyn Marcello shared, “I’m looking forward to conferences and wrapping up inside, but outdoor season is by far my favorite.”
The next couple of weeks are going to challenge the Bullets, but the team seems up for the task. Without a doubt, the next few meets will highlight the team’s hard work and dedication.
