Author: Sharen Cervantes
Despite giving 110% to their sport, not all the Tigers on Occidental’s Track and Field team qualified for the Cal-Nevada State Championships at UCLA, held on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28. For those athletes who did make it to Friday and Saturday’s meet, however, the excitement was almost too much to handle – and not all of it was due to the competition.
“March 28th was an exciting [day],” Kassandra Griswold (sophomore) said. “Just being at a large school while the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards was going on was exciting, [because] little kids were protesting the cancellation of the cartoon ‘Danny Phantom’ during lunch.”
Of course, the (running/throwing/jumping/hurdling part) perhaps just “competition” was great too. “I threw the javelin 96’01”, just short of my season best of 96’07 Griswold said.
While many competitors achieved personal bests at the meet, some of the athletes who attended were less than thrilled with their efforts. Still, they expressed enthusiasm at the performances of the other Tigers on the team.
“I was a bit disappointed in my race at Cal-Nevada,” Clay Hoadley (senior) said. “But watching Will Mosely and Eric Kleinsasser go out there and perform was great.”
Despite the disappointment some of the team members expressed, the meet was a huge success for several athletes. Distance runner Claire Larson, for instance, ran a 2:17.49 800 meter race (her seasonal best), coming in 20th among 35 of California and Nevada’s leading collegiate runners. Other high points include Sadie Mohler’s time of 12:18.78 in the 3,000 meter steeple chase, Will Mosley’s 1:56.03 time in the 800 meter dash (another personal best), and Eric Kleinsasser’s 11th place finish in the 5,000 meter race.
As the season nears the midway mark, the Tigers on the Track and Field team are gearing themselves up for their next meet, the first of two that will precede the SCIAC championships beginning April 25. Many Tigers have already seen a significant improvement in their performance as the season has progressed; their goal is to improve some more before SCIAC time rolls around.
“I began the season throwing at 120 feet and am now throwing the hammer at a constant 135 [feet],” Juan German (first-year) said. “My goal for the season is [to throw at] 145 feet.”
German’s sentiments echo loudly with other Tigers on the team. “I expect to run significantly faster this weekend in both the 800 and 1500 [meter races],” Hoadley said. “By the SCIACs I think that I will be running at least four seconds faster in the 800.”
Indeed, doing well at the SCIAC championship meet seems to be the foremost goal on all the team members’ agendas. The Tigers are ready, despite nerves and some apprehensions, to take on rival schools.
“We are definitely looking forward to our next three meets, especially the SCIAC conference championships,” Diana Martin (sophomore) said. “We are looking to score high at conference, and we have a great shot of placing higher than we have in a long time.”
The Tigers are nothing if not self-assured and confident in their potential. If they have faith in their own abilities, however, they also have a great deal of faith in what their teammates are capable of accomplishing.
“I expect Will Mosely and myself to be in legitimate contention with Pomona’s John Merring and Redland’s Jake Baechle for the SCIAC championship in the 800,” Hoadley said. “In the 1500 I expect to be solidly among the top three or four runners in the conference.”
The SCIAC championship is perhaps even more intimidating for the Tigers because it will be held out on the Oxy field, in full view of our school’s student body. Still, the team is banking on an overflow of support from Oxy students, Oxy parents, and Oxy staff.
“It will be very exciting to have a home meet,” Sarah Fischer (senior) said. “I’m nervous to compete with more Oxy students there, but I think the support will pump us all up like it did at the home meet after spring break.”
With the season halfway over, the Tigers reflect on the ups and downs they experienced during the past couple months. The biggest upside of the season appears to be the new additions to the team.
“[As a team], we’ve been making great strides across the board,” Griswold said. “We have a ton of talented freshmen.”The biggest downside the Tigers have had to contend with this season is injury, which forced some of the athletes to spend time recovering when they would rather have been practicing. “Some injuries have been frustrating for athletes,” Fischer said. “[However], it’s inevitable with [such] a physically demanding sport, [especially since] the track pounds hard on your body.”
How did the team get through it all? By doing what a team does best: lending unconditional support to each other.
“Our team is hard-working and doesn’t complain a lot,” Fischer added. “We are very supportive of one another.” Such support will be critical come April 25, where the Oxy Tigers will to take on the rest of the SCIAC.
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