While most athletes on the Arizona men’s and women’s track and field teams took the weekend off to work on a training regimen, several members of the team found success and confidence in Flagstaff at the NAU Team Competition on Saturday.
Most of the action occurred on the men’s side, something UA head coach Fred Harvey was hoping for, so some of the male athletes gain experience before heading to the conference tournament at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships Feb. 29 in Seattle.
“”We were really looking to use this meet to prepare our men’s hurdlers and sprinters for the conference championships,”” Harvey said. “”Some of these athletes will have to step up and earn us some points.””
One such athlete is sprinter Marcus Tyus, who had one of the better performances of the day. Tyus won the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.87 seconds and followed that with a third place finish in the 200-meter dash, coming in at 22.21.
Harvey said Tyus could be a deciding factor at the championships. Arizona already has two strong male sprinters in Bobby McCoy and Kyle Alston. Having a reliable third runner could prove to be the difference down the stretch, especially since Harvey said first place in the conference will be decided by the sprinting events.
Arizona also saw a strong race from hurdler DeLoyd Gray, who won the 60-meter hurdlers with a time of 8.70 and set a personal record for himself.
“”DeLoyd is going to be a big factor at the MPFCs,”” Harvey said. “”The time he earned (Saturday) is going to give him a big confidence level.””
Thrower Zack Lloyd won the shot put event, beating two UA teammates with a throw of 19.46 meters. Jarred Sola finished second with a toss of 17.66m and Korion Morris took fourth at 16.12m.
Lloyd also competed in the men’s weight toss event for the first time this season, finishing third after throwing 18.01 meters.
“”Zack has picked up the learning factors of the (weight toss) really well,”” Harvey said. “”We are hoping he can break a big one at the championships and earn us some extra points in the event.””
Not many athletes competed on the women’s side since the focus of the meet was mostly on the men. Throwers Nicole Lloyd and Megan Howard tied for third place in the shot put with throws of 14.73m.
Aside from the handful who traveled north, most athletes spent Saturday training with Harvey at Drachman Stadium.
“”It’s really important that we get these two-week training blocks in so the athletes don’t have to worry about competing event week,”” Harvey said.
While many athletes might welcome a weekend off, some do miss the competition every weekend.
“”I love to compete and I love to see my teammates compete,”” said Shevell Quinley. “”But in the end, our coaches have to decide when it’s time for us or when we just need to stay home and rest.””
