Track teams gets ready for Big South Championship
Ben Henderson
Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Sports
The Winthrop men's indoor track team enters the Big South Conference meet this weekend with the opportunity to finish as high as second. But even the prospect of walking away with team hardware for the first time since 2000 doesn't have Head Coach Ben Paxton overly excited.
"We usually don't have a team large enough to compete for team hardware, so our goal has always been to have our athletes to perform their best at the end of the year and not worry about the team title. We want to have as many of our athletes get all-conference honors as possible. We focus on getting people to the next level."
Leading the way for the men will be senior Kandrick Cooper, who has won the 60-meter hurdles in the Big South the previous three years. If he wins again this year he will be the first male in Big South history to win an event 4 years in a row. While Cooper has yet to compete this season due to a hamstring injury, coach Paxton says he will be ready to go.
"Even if he is 80%, he will still win."
Matt Elliot is another Eagle looking to have a big day. He leads the conference in the 800 meter run and is second in the mile run by less than a second.
"Matt has a great chance to be a double winner."
Complementing Elliot in the distance events will be seniors Brad Orr and Trevor Beesley. Orr will be running the 3000-meter run, where he is currently fourth, and will anchor the distance medley relay that he has helped lead to the conference title the past two years. Beesley currently sits in the top five in both the 3000- and the 5000-meter run.
Senior Jason Williams will be looking to bring home all-conference honors in the high jump. Williams is currently third in the conference, but coach Paxton says it's a wide open field and anyone can win it.
"It will come down to who has the best day."
Rounding out the senior leadership for the Eagles will be Daryl Green. Green will run the 200- and 400-meter dash along with 4 X 400 meter relay. He was third last year in the 200 and runner up in the 400.
The women's team has been decimated by injuries this season, and Coach Paxton isn't expecting too high of a team finish.
"It's been a rebuilding year. We have has multiple people out with stress factures and we had one out with mono. The good news is that we are very young. We have no seniors. And once we get our injured people back it should jump start our outdoor season."
Despite all the injuries, the Lady Eagles should still have some all-conference performers. Ashley Howard is currently second in the conference in the weight throw.
"She has beaten the first place girl head to head twice this year."
Helping Howard in the throws is sophomore Felicia Boulware who is third in the shot put. Sophomore Sara Young will look to make the finals of the 60-meter hurdles with the possibility of making all-conference.
"She is only a tenth of a second off third, so with a good day, who knows what will happen."
"We usually don't have a team large enough to compete for team hardware, so our goal has always been to have our athletes to perform their best at the end of the year and not worry about the team title. We want to have as many of our athletes get all-conference honors as possible. We focus on getting people to the next level."
Leading the way for the men will be senior Kandrick Cooper, who has won the 60-meter hurdles in the Big South the previous three years. If he wins again this year he will be the first male in Big South history to win an event 4 years in a row. While Cooper has yet to compete this season due to a hamstring injury, coach Paxton says he will be ready to go.
"Even if he is 80%, he will still win."
Matt Elliot is another Eagle looking to have a big day. He leads the conference in the 800 meter run and is second in the mile run by less than a second.
"Matt has a great chance to be a double winner."
Complementing Elliot in the distance events will be seniors Brad Orr and Trevor Beesley. Orr will be running the 3000-meter run, where he is currently fourth, and will anchor the distance medley relay that he has helped lead to the conference title the past two years. Beesley currently sits in the top five in both the 3000- and the 5000-meter run.
Senior Jason Williams will be looking to bring home all-conference honors in the high jump. Williams is currently third in the conference, but coach Paxton says it's a wide open field and anyone can win it.
"It will come down to who has the best day."
Rounding out the senior leadership for the Eagles will be Daryl Green. Green will run the 200- and 400-meter dash along with 4 X 400 meter relay. He was third last year in the 200 and runner up in the 400.
The women's team has been decimated by injuries this season, and Coach Paxton isn't expecting too high of a team finish.
"It's been a rebuilding year. We have has multiple people out with stress factures and we had one out with mono. The good news is that we are very young. We have no seniors. And once we get our injured people back it should jump start our outdoor season."
Despite all the injuries, the Lady Eagles should still have some all-conference performers. Ashley Howard is currently second in the conference in the weight throw.
"She has beaten the first place girl head to head twice this year."
Helping Howard in the throws is sophomore Felicia Boulware who is third in the shot put. Sophomore Sara Young will look to make the finals of the 60-meter hurdles with the possibility of making all-conference.
"She is only a tenth of a second off third, so with a good day, who knows what will happen."
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