Last Tuesday’s announcement, that five coaches from the ISU track and field program would not be returning next season, has provided a major distraction for four Cyclone athletes just days before Wednesday’s NCAA Outdoor Track Championships in Sacramento, Calif.

Neil Hines, of the decathalon and the team’s lone qualifier, said he has tried to remain focused on the task at hand, but has found focus hard to come by.

“I wish I could say we’ve been going about this business as usual, but it honestly has affected me,” Hines said.

“I know it’s the last thing the coaches want, but I feel bad for them to be put in this situation. With everything going on with them and their families, they’re still focusing on getting me ready.

“I feel helpless because I feel for them, but the best thing I can do right now is go out with a bang with the coaches.”

Hines will be the final athlete Steve Lynn will coach at Iowa State after 15 years as men’s track coach. Lynn, however, said the last thing he wanted for Hines was to have the pressure of carrying the coaches on his shoulders during the final meet.

“I don’t want Neil going out there thinking he’s got to do this for us. That’s the last thing I want for him – to put pressure on him to try to do more than he can” Lynn said. “He should be doing this for himself and for Iowa State.”

Hines is looking to become the 56th All-American under Lynn’s stay since he became head coach in 1993. Hines is ranked fourth in the nation going into the meet and is confident he can hold that spot. Lynn said Hines has positioned himself as a member of the top group in the decathlon.

“There are some people who go to Nationals just happy to get there, and then there’s another group that is looking to get All-American and a group that could win,” Lynn said. “Neil is definitely in the All-American group, and if a couple of those guys ahead of him slip up, he could really get in position to get up there.”

Three athletes have qualified for the women’s team, with Jenna Caffrey in the 100-meter hurdles, Priya Hoze in the long jump, and Agata Kosuda in the triple jump. Lee said the timing of the coaching changes has also affected the women’s team leading up to the competition.

“It’s been a definite distraction. For those kids, it was not positive timing,” Lee said.

“They’re glad the coaches that have been there all year are going to be there. As the week went on, they realized their goal was to focus and do well.”

Lee said he expected the athletes to have to deal with the emotions of losing their coaches while in Sacramento, but to be successful, they would need to put that behind them.

“I’m sure there will be times out there when emotions will come out, but they just have to be able to regroup and refocus to do what they need to do,” Lee said.

Competition starts Wednesday and will last through Saturday.

Athletes prepare for Nationals events

Neil Hines

Event: Decathlon

Schedule:

10 a.m. Wednesday -100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400-meter dash

10 a.m. Thursday – 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1,500-meter run

Outlook: Hines, a senior from Morse Bluff, Neb., is the Big 12 outdoor champion and fourth in the nation coming in. He hopes to fulfill a season-long goal of becoming an All-American.

Quotable: “It would mean a lot because it’s a goal I’ve had for a while and it’s been elusive to this point. It looks like I’ll be able to do that,” Hines said. “To reach this point from where I’ve started, it would mean a lot to me.”

Jenna Caffrey

Event: 100-meter hurdles

Schedule:

5:40 p.m. Wednesday – Preliminaries

7:25 p.m. Wednesday – Semifinals

5:45 p.m. Friday – Finals

Outlook: Caffrey, a freshman from Burlington, is a surprise qualifier for the event, getting in after taking fifth at NCAA Regionals, the lowest qualifying spot. Caffrey has the 26th best time of the 28 runners qualified for the event.

Quotable: “It would be great for her to get to the semis. If she could make it that far, that would be a major accomplishment,” said coach Dick Lee. “It’s a great experience for her to be able to do it this year because it’ll help in the future – it won’t be a new experience for her next time.”

Priya Hoze

Event: Long jump

Schedule:

5:45 p.m. Wednesday – Qualifying

4 p.m. Thursday – Finals

Outlook: Hoze, a senior from Milwaukee, Wis., comes in tied for 23rd of the 28 people in the event. Hoze would need to jump around 20 feet 4 inches to get out of the qualifying round, said coach Dick Lee, which was a mark she hit at the Big 12 Championships.

Quotable: “If we can get through qualifying, that would be a major accomplishment,” Lee said. “Then, in finals, anything can happen.”

Agata Kosuda

Event: Triple jump

Schedule:

3:15 p.m. Friday – Qualifying

10 a.m. Saturday – Finals

Outlook: Kosuda, a senior from Lublin, Poland, comes in 16th of the 27 competitors in the event. Kosuda is making her third Nationals appearance.

Quotable: “She’s got a chance, if she jumps well, to be in the top eight in the country, if things click for her,” Lee said. “She will have to jump very well in the qualifying round.”

Related article: Track, cross country restructured