For the first time, the St. Edward’s University Indoor Track and Field season is upon us. On Jan. 25, the second Indoor Track and Field meet of the season was held by the FasTrak College Challenge in the University of Houston’s Yeoman Fieldhouse.
Beginning with their first team in 2022, the track team has made a steady incline. Despite having indoor meets for the last few years, their purpose was mostly to prepare for the outdoor season. There was no indoor postseason.
“Indoor builds the momentum for outdoor,” junior AJ Peña, 1500 and 800-meter runner, said. “So, the better you do in indoor, the more momentum, the more confidence you’re gonna have for outdoor. You don’t want to go into indoor and say, ‘oh, I don’t really care about it,’ but now we have to care because it especially matters this year. Conference and championships are the two main goals for this season.”
This year marks the team’s first time poised for a postseason. This includes a district championship and a national championship but no regional championship. In the cross country and outdoor track and field seasons, a regional meet is usually between districts and nationals. Peña says that there are rumors of a regional meet, but nothing is confirmed at the moment.
With the first indoor meet before Christmas break, the season started earlier – only four days after the end of cross country – and will be progressing faster than ever. The regular track and field season is starting at its usual time; the indoor season just starts earlier. Junior Tyriq Wilson, 200 and 400-meter sprinter, feels optimistic about this change.
“I think this will help us, actually, more than anything,” Wilson said. “Us not really having as many indoor meets in the past, it would kind of make that ‘it’s go-time’ kick in a little later. Now that we’re gonna knock four or five meets out indoors, I feel like by the time we get outdoors, everyone, especially freshman, will know better what to expect. You know what you’re getting into, and you get that reminder that ‘it’s go-time.’”
Indoor track and field is not just outdoor with a different name and location. Even the track itself is often different. According to Peña, most of the indoor tracks are banked and 200 meters long, as opposed to the flat outdoor 400-meter standard. A banked track means an uphill at the start of the curve and a downhill at the end, which can be a difficult shift for runners unused to a longer, flatter track.
Other differences include changes in events, including some that don’t even take place at indoor meets, and vice versa.
“(In regard to field,) the only ones that are different for indoor is throws because of the weight of the implements and the events themselves.” junior Michaela Fallon, discus and hammer thrower, said. “Indoor has heavier weight because there is less space to work with … (since only) the inside of the track is usually meant for the throws, the jumps and the pole vaults. But that does mean I don’t have an indoor season because my main two events are both outdoor events.”
The Hilltoppers finished the meet with seven top-10 finishes and an impressive 31 personal records. Live results for meets past and present can be found on Athletic.net and TFRRS, and SEU’s own Jesse Blanchard from the Athletic Department often covers the meets. The Hilltoppers will compete in Houston once more on Feb. 8.
