Men’s track team eager to head outdoors
Nick Efkamp, sophomore, won the men’s 400-meter dash with final time of 46.75 seconds. The ISU Open was held in the Lied Recreational Center on Saturday, Jan. 19.
March 14, 2013
As one season ends, another begins for the ISU men’s track and field team. The outdoor season begins just one month after the indoor season ended.
The indoor season ended with the Big 12 Championships on Feb. 24, 2013, for most of the team, while sophomores Nick Efkamp and Edward Kemboi’s season ended during the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 9.
Efkamp said the time off during the transition to the outdoor season from the indoor season is helpful.
“You have to regroup and take a couple weeks off for recovery and do some resting-type workouts and basically start over with less events at the beginning of the year and try and get conditioned to run the four or five races at the outdoor conference meet,” Efkamp said.
The outdoor season will provide the team with an opportunity to forget about its disappointing finish at the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships, where it finished eighth out of nine teams.
“Heading into outdoors we have to get a few people healthy first, and that will allow us to keep moving forward and continue heading in the right direction,” said ISU coach Corey Ihmels.
Some of the different events added when the team moves outdoors are the 100-meter dash, 400-meter hurdles, steeplechase, discus and hammer throw. Along with the competing in different events, throwers will exchange their rubber shots with metal ones outdoors.
“I definitely like the metals shots better than the indoor ones we throw,” said freshman Jan Jeuschede. “It just feels better and seems more natural.”
The outdoor season will provide the first opportunity to compete for some athletes and also will be the first time the freshmen will get a chance to compete outdoors.
“In high school all we did was compete outdoors so I think the transition will be pretty smooth, but only time will tell,” said freshman Brandon Moorman.
A group of multi-event athletes will be at the Cal Multis in Berkeley, Calif., from March 27-28. The rest of the team will begin its season March 29-30 either in Austin, Texas, for the Texas Relays or in Palo Alto, Calif., for the Stanford Invitational.
