The Indiana Wesleyan University men’s and women’s track teams participated in the first indoor meet of the season at Purdue University-Fort Wayne on Saturday, the 18th.
At the meet, athletes participated in various events, including sprints, mid-distance, long-distance, jumping, and throwing.
Ally Hawk, a junior sprinter for the women’s team, participates in many different events, including sprints, hurdles, and 400-meter races. Hawk said the meet was strong from everyone, freshmen to seniors.
“I think everyone was super supportive, especially for each of the events we all knew who was running what,” Hawk said.
Hawk added that the team was able to stand at different spots around the track to support all the girls through all of the races. The faith-based center fosters a sense of community and mutual encouragement.
Junior distance runner Tommy Ott expressed his satisfaction with the event, noting the excitement of returning to competition and the camaraderie among teammates.
“It’s really cool seeing everybody get back out there and just have some fun,” Ott said.
Despite the team’s injuries, Ott emphasized the upcoming season as promising.
“I think we can do a lot of good things this year and have a lot of good young guys and a lot of good seniors that can do a lot of cool stuff,” Ott said.
Ott finished first in the 800-meter run at the invite. His team finished first in the 4×400-meter relay as well.
Jackson Bontrager, a sophomore sprinter, emphasized how well his colleagues on the track performed.
“There were a lot of PRs (personal bests) and that’s not typically normal for a first meet, so that says a lot about the coaching,” Bontrager said.
The Wildcats have the last meet this weekend before the indoor Crossroads League Championships.
