Reigning UAA Champions Look to Use Past Experience to Finish Strong
Written By: Stan Becton
The Carnegie Mellon University men's indoor track and field team entered the 2020 season as the reigning University Athletic Association (UAA) Champions with intentions of repeating. With talented returners across the board, the team hopes that the experience as champions can help them reach their expectations.
So far this season, the men's indoor track and field team has performed well. They started with a strong win against rival conference opponent Case Western Reserve University at a dual meet in late January before winning once again at the Noke Elite Meet at Roanoke College
"We have had some great performances as the year has progressed going into our championship meet," said junior sprinter Marvin Bennett.
Bennett and his teammates' strong performances have helped the team stay on par with their goals and expectations heading into the season. While their sights are set on another UAA Championship, the team also wants to send participants to the NCAA Indoor National Championships, a meet that saw a school-record six individual competitors in 2019.
With high aspirations and expectations, the team is not feeling any additional pressure to perform. Rather, they have a unique confidence approaching their goals.
"This year, it isn't so much pressure to win the UAA Indoor Championship again as it is preparing ourselves to compete at our best," said senior jumper Dhroovaa Khannan. "We know that when we're healthy and mentally prepared to compete, we're the best team in the conference. That's all there is to it."
The team's mental preparation has been aided by last year's successful experience. As a team, they can draw on the past lessons learned to better prepare themselves.
"Every year is a building block for us and last year was a big confidence booster," said senior distance runner Evan Yukevich. "Going forward, it is important to understand the potential we have as a team and execute on all of the nuanced details like recovery, time management and mental preparation for us to be successful again."
These details are what got runners like Yukevich and Bennett to the NCAA Indoor Championships last year. Last year's experience adds to all of the years of hard work they hope pays off in the 2020 season.
"Running is one of those sports that takes years in order to improve and the experience I had last year was pivotal in my development as a runner. Senior year is a culmination of everything that I have gone through and I'm looking forward to finishing my career strongly," said Yukevich.
The chance for Yukevich and the rest of the men's track and field team to finish strong begins on Saturday, February 29 at the UAA Indoor Championships held at New York University.