ANGELA BALDWIN | staff writer
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courtesy of APU Athletics
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| Junior JACKY KIPWAMBOK is expected to be a dangerous weapon on the mile run for the women's track & field team. |
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The men’s track and field team will be returning this season with hopes to grab another championship while the women’s team will attempt to seal the deal with a championship of their own.
Both teams have been working hard preparing for this season. The Cougars are a part of a program well known by schools and athletes within the National Assoication of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for their championship wins in track and field and are aiming to enjoy their talents while dominating the opposition.
“APU is the one school in the NAIA everyone knows about,” senior marketing major and distance runner, John Pfeil said.
Within the NAIA, the Cougars have challenged other schools by providing tough competition and returning home satisfied with their ability to win events.
“Our goal is to always continue to be competitive at the GSAC [Golden State Athletic Conference] and at the NAIA national level,” men’s track and field Coach Kevin Reid said.
Last year, men’s track and field won the NAIA Indoor and Outdoor Championship and women’s track and field finished second in the NAIA Indoor and fourth in the Outdoor Championship.
This year will be an opportunity for the program to win the men’s indoor and outdoor championships back-to-back years.
And for the women to win it for the first time since junior nursing major Jackie Kipwambok has been a part of the team, who is the women’s track ad field mile record holder.
“Everyone on our team believes we can do it,” Kipwambok said.
Last season, the women’s team lost the championship by one point. This year they will return with a desire to take it all.
“I think overall we have a better team. We have excited freshman who are disciplined and committed. Just the overall energy is better than it was,” senior pentathlete business major Zora Golcevska said.
Junior Jordan Savidge, junior Matt Crego and freshman Cedrique Smith are representing the men’s track and field team as new athletes to take note of that can add to the possibility of achieving the schools NAIA championship goals this year.
Freshman Emily Nash is a women’s track and field athlete who is setting a positive tone for women’s team this year.
After the success of alumnus Bryan Clay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, track and field athletes feel they have received a boost of confidence too.
Golcevska described the reality check that Clay has given the team.
“Bryan Clay is just a normal human and is the type of person who is always helping others. It makes you realize anyone can do great things. You just need to have discipline and the will to do and the commitment and great things can happen. [Bryan] Clay is proof of that,” Golcevska said.
The 2009 Bryan Clay Invitational track and field meet will be held on April 17 in Azusa.
Newly named after the APU Alumnus gold medalist, the meet will bring teams from all over the country to compete in track and field events.
“We’ve always known he’s been real good, it’s exciting to know he’s finally got the Gold. It makes it fun to wear the APU jersey,” said Pfeil.
The program has received attention from prospects who may have not ever heard of Azusa Pacific prior to the Olympics games.
“We get a lot more phone calls from potential student-athletes, and it is obviously a bonus for the current students to interact with him as well.” said Reid.
A few key returning athletes on the men’s team include senior Aron Rono, who won first in three events in the NAIA Outdoor Championships last year, as well as senior Anthony Logan and junior Staphon Arnold.
These athletes will be returning with hopes to win the championships two years in a row.
The next track and field meet will be the Indoor Qualifier which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Cougar Stadium.
