The Colorado College Men’s track and field team is coming off their best meet of the season. The Tigers set new personal records and posted season best times in numerous events at last week’s Alex Francis Classic Friday in Hays, Kansas.
“Kansas is always one of our favorite meets of the season,” said sophomore captain Connor Terhune. “A lot of DII and talented DIII teams come out, and it’s our first chance to see how we match up against tough competition.”
CC saw good results in Friday’s long-distance events. Senior Graham Frank set a new PR with a 15:32 5k and placed eighth, while teammate Jack Rothman also set a PR of 16:38 in the same race to take 20th overall.
Terhune came in sixth in his first steeple race of the season, and Tucker Hanson set a new PR in the 800m with a time of 158:95, almost a second better than his previous personal best.
“The nicer weather has let us practice on the track so our workouts have become more competitive and speed based,” said Rothman. “And it looks like we are seeing results.”
In Saturday’s sprinting events, CC also performed well. Freshmen Robin Li and Justin Nguyen set season-bests in long jump, taking seventh and eighth in the event, while freshman Gabe Fine and Sean Fite placed 13th and 14th in the 400m.
“This was our first taste of what the rest of the season will look like,” said Rothman. Terhune added, “So many guys of the guys are coming off a weekend of season bests, if not personal records, that it’s really building the confidence of our team as a whole.”
Looking ahead, the Tigers feel like theY have a good chance to place well in the SCAC conference. “The whole season is geared toward the conference meet,” said Rothman. “And it looks like we are right on track with where we want to be.”
The Tigers host the Colorado College Invitational this Saturday.