Indoor track and field team to compete in Big 12 Championship
This weekend, a flood of competition will invade the land of the Cornhuskers. Nebraska will play host to the Big 12 teams for the conference Indoor Track and Field Championship meet on Friday and Saturday.
The Big 12 has a standing reputation of being one of the most competitive conferences in track and field. Currently, seven of the 12 men’s teams are ranked nationally as well as eight of the women’s teams. With a heightened amount of talent present in the conference also comes motivation for two CU track athletes to perform well.
Junior sprinter Jeremy Dodson looks to this weekend to place well and see how competitive he will be among other sprinters in the Big 12.
“It’s the first real competitive meet,” Dodson said. “It’s on a more national level.”
With the heightened competition, Dodson said he expects to be challenged by numerous players from competitive schools such as Texas Tech and Texas A&M. Despite injuries to his knee and abs, he added he still expects to perform well at the championships, and he will be using this meet to find out how competitive he will be against other schools in the nation.
“Individually, it’s a big gauge to see how I’m going to do nationally,” Dodson said.
Junior middle distance runner Sara Vaughn also welcomes the higher level of competition this weekend. Like Dodson, Vaughn said this weekend is important to nationals.
“The meet is a great stepping stone in the progression towards nationals,” Vaughn said. “This is only the second meet we are going to where there will be some tough, national-caliber competition.”
With the heightened competition, Vaughn said she hopes to win the mile, but also realizes that she will face some stiff competitors. Some of her competition includes Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech who is favored to win the mile and 3k, as well as Lauren Hagans from Baylor, who has been performing well.
“There are going to be very talented women to compete with,” Vaughn said. “But good competition leads to good performances.”
Vaughn said that this meet will be about more for her than winning the race. She will also be attempting to set a school record currently held by Sara Slattery.
“I’ve got my eyes set on the indoor mile school record,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn added that she watched Slattery set that record when she was a sophomore in high school.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Rachael Fischer at
rachael.fischer@colorado.edu.
