On Saturday, Indiana Wesleyan University hosted 22 schools and 973 athletes at an indoor track meet in Troyer Fieldhouse.
Freshman sprinter Dylainey Floyd from IWU says that the number of athletes in the competition is one of her favorite parts of the sport.
“It is definitely a little stressful, just because there are so many people here, but it’s really cool to just see all of the different people on the line,” Floyd said. “They all have a different story.”
Floyd said she enjoys getting to meet other people throughout the day. She said that using the different heats to get to know other people is always enjoyable.
“It is really fun to connect on a different level with other athletes that you wouldn’t even think to talk to since they don’t run your event or aren’t on your team,” Floyd said.
The Wildcats had a successful day at the event, scoring near the top in multiple events. Wildcats’ distance coach John Foss explained the dynamic of the meet, and that the team has had a great indoor season so far.
“We’re doing really well,” Foss said. “We’ve qualified several for NAIA Nationals.”
Foss said that there are both A and B standards for the qualification. He said that A standard means that the athlete qualifies automatically, and B standard means that they are put onto a list where they might qualify.
“We’ve got quite a few of both,” Foss said. “We’ve got throwers, hurdlers, distance runners, and sprinters.”
Foss also said that the meet runs all at once, and that the different events take place at the same time.
“If you have a chance to look around, you’ll see that there’s competition going on everywhere; on the track, inside the track, and outside the track,” Foss said. “Nine hundred and seventy-three athletes make it a long day and a lot of heat, but we have a lot of workers here that are doing a great job.”
Sophomore Jaden East was a spectator at the event watching his friends, roommates, and peers. He was one of the many supporters at the event that day.
“I think it’s really cool to see the amount of people that are here, and also the amount of people that come out to support,” East said. “The atmosphere is crazy; there’s people everywhere.”
This is just the start of the season for the IWU track team. Both the men’s and women’s teams will continue to have meets as the spring semester progresses.
