New Mexico Collegiate Classic
Sunday Abarca
The Adams State track and field team will return to New Mexico to compete at the Collegiate Classic in Albuquerque. This year’s team is back and better than ever. With only a few meets into the season, we are seeing several athletes ranked amongst the top in the nation. On the men’s side, we have Ian Kerr ranked #6 in the 200 meter. In the 3000 meter, we have Sydney Gidabuday, Elias Gedyon, Austin Anaya, and Miguel Villar ranking top 4 in the nation. On the women’s side in the 60m, we have Dianna Johnson and Kandace Thomas ranking #1 and #2 in the nation. Thomas is also ranked #8 for the 200 meter. Tiffany Christensen is ranked #2 in the mile. We also see Kaylee Bogina in the 3000 meters ranking #7. Lastly, Oweneika Watson is ranked #4 in the women’s 60 meter hurdles. One of the biggest races to look out for this weekend is the 400 meter relay. Adams is looking to qualify in the top 18 in order to compete at nationals in Pittsburgh. In an interview with Adams State freshman Cody Jones, he states, “It’s been a big adjustment competing from a small town to running for one of the top schools in the nation.” Jones goes on to say, “We all push each other every day and have been looking forward to traveling to New Mexico’s Collegiate Classic meet. I can’t wait to run against other top schools. Our 4 by 400 relay team has been working on fixing the little things such as handoffs and race strategy. I think we can qualify for nationals this time around.” This is one of the biggest meets for Adams State’s track and field team. Some of the schools competing at the meet consist of UTEP, LSU, Arizona State, Alabama, Cal State, and Arkansas State. There will also be professional individual athletes from teams such as Nike, Altis, and Adidas. “Racing against those older guys will definitely help me improve my personal bests. I’m only 18,” Jones said. “The competition is going to be really intense. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do.” Although the current team is young in age, they are big in numbers and have a great amount of potential for the years to come. Unfortunately, due to the coaches’ busy schedules, I couldn’t get a direct statement from either of them. However, after interviewing several athletes, it is apparent that Adams State has a stronger sprints team than ever before. Its seems as if the team is ready to compete and make a statement to shed even more light on their supreme track and field program. The track and field meet is this upcoming Friday and Saturday, January 25th-26th. For anyone trying to watch the meet live online, you will be able to watch it on either MileSplit or New Mexico’s track and field homepage. As far as the event and heatsheat list, it will be posted on both the Adams State and New Mexico’s track and field homepages.
What’s Been Said…