As the cross-country teams come off their season, the track and field teams are looking ahead to the start of their season, beginning with the Arkansas State Kickoff Klassic on Dec. 2.
Cross-country and track and field coach Steve Guymon, who was made NCAA Division II Track and Field President by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in August, said he was pleased overall with the cross-country teams’ performance this fall, especially given how young the teams were (Nine of the 13 members of the men’s team were freshmen or sophomores, as were six of the 10 members on the women’s team.).
The cross-country teams competed in five meets this semester. The men’s cross-country team placed first of 13 at the Gulf Coast Stampede in Pensacola, Fla., second of four at the Great American Conference Meet in Searcy and seventh of 19 at the NCAA South Central Region Championships in Wichita Falls, Texas. The women’s cross-country team placed first of 16 at the Gulf Coast Stampede, first of nine at the Great American Conference Meet and seventh of 19 at the NCAA South Central Region Championships.
Senior Gladys Kimtai, who placed first in the 5K race with a 17:18 at the Great American Conference Women’s Cross-Country Championship, said she believes that she has grown as a runner and that the whole team has grown.
“I don’t feel like it’s a young team anymore,” Kimtai said. “I feel like they are so experienced.”
Guymon said that he has loved getting to work with this year’s men’s and women’s cross-country teams.
“I never enjoyed a team more than I have this one as far as just being at practice, being around them, taking trips with them,” Guymon said. “They’re just a joy to be around.”
The track and field teams, meanwhile, have been training to stay in shape for their season, starting with the Dec. 2 meet. This meet will serve as a chance for the team members to see where they are, Guymon said.
Junior Kory Howard said that although he does not quite feel ready for the Kickoff Klassic, he thinks the teams will perform well as the season progresses.
“We are getting off to a good start,” Howard said. “I think we’ll do all right, but not like we’ll be doing in the spring when we really start getting into shape.”
Once the Dec. 2 meet is behind them, the track and field members will not have a meet until January but will face the challenge of staying in shape over the holiday break. Led by seniors Logan Callier, Milton Stewart and Ryan Johnson on the men’s team and Elumba Ebenja and Gladys Kimtai on the women’s team, the track and field teams aim to attend nationals.
“We have not just one awesome runner,” Howard said. “Last year, even when we made it to nationals, we were kind of riding on the shoulders of one guy who was just absolutely incredible. … Now we’re all getting faster and it’s going to take all of us.”
