By Jocelyn Sterling
University of Portland's long distance runners are recruited, get scholarships and make headlines. But what about the other runners? It's easy to forget some of the hardest working athletes on campus: the sprinters.
Sprinters are rarely recruited, and usually never get scholarships, but due to students choosing to run track on their own accord, all of the sprinters are very motivated and run because they love it, Assistant Coach Dan Cash said.
"The runners are really dedicated to competing and because they're not on scholarship it means a lot to me," Cash said.
Sophomore Brandon Pono Hanson said that he runs for the love of it and because he enjoys the competition. Sophomore Anastasia Borok shared the same sentiment.
"There is an unexplainable feeling I get before, during, and after a race," Borok said. "It's so awesome, I can't even explain it. I love it."
Each runner is personally motivated to run, and must be with all of the time commitments and hard work required for the position. In order for any of the runners to succeed they must be self motivated and determined, and in order for the team to exist the students must volunteer their time to make the team what it is.
All of this results in a small short distance team, one which is less experienced than their competitors.
"The teams we compete against are a lot more experienced than us," Hanson said. "But we put just as much dedication and motivation into it."
Hanson hopes that with more experience the team will be able to keep up with their competitors. Cash agrees, and said that the team is pretty inexperienced, and he is looking to them to get focused and ready to compete.
Although the lack of scholarships limits the number of runners in the program due to little student interest, it also allows each athlete to compete in areas they normally wouldn't and try new events. At larger schools runners would only be able to compete in his or her event, but at UP if a hurdler wants to try running the 200-meter dash they have the chance, Cash said.
Another advantage to the small team at UP is the bond it creates among runners. Borok said some of her best friends at school are on the track team.
"When you spend that much time with someone and you have that camaraderie with them, then it creates a closer bond than just someone you met in class," Borok said.
This allows the team to encourage one another, during practices as well as at meets.
"Everyone is really good at going down to the track during meets and supporting each other and cheering each other on," said Cash. "I'm proud of them."
Senior Krista Roumeliotis said that the team makes sure to be there for one another because they all need that support, as there is not much from the outside.
"A lot of people think of track as an individual sport," she said, "but we are very team oriented."
However, the track team has experienced a rough start to the season, but maintains high hopes for the rest of the meets.
The sprinters competed in the Pilot Indoor track meet on Feb. 6, and a few UP runners traveled up to University of Washington to compete in indoor meets. There have been two outdoor meets at Willamette University and Linfield College, but overall the sprinting team has been underwhelmed by its performance.
"We're off to a slow start in terms of performance," Roumeliotis said. "We know what we need to focus on but there is definitely room for improvement."
The team is not up to speed with last year due to a combination of scheduling conflicts, lack of communication and structure and consistency in coaching. Roumeliotis said that it is discouraging going backwards from last year and she feels that the team is just one step behind. Sophomore Brittany Bartolomei finds the progress slow and improvement difficult.
In addition, with a small team it is difficult to make an impact or have a big showing at meets, said Roumeliotis.
With encouragement and training the sprinters hope to see an improvement in the upcoming meets. The team has slowly been improving and is doing its best, said Hanson.
"I just want them to improve each week," Cash said. "Make each week better than the last."
For Roumeliotis this is her last chance to do competitive athletics, and she wants to finish strong, do well, and feel good about her races. Most of all, she just wants the team to be coherent and to go out and have fun.
Both Roumeliotis and Bartolomei aspire for the track program to grow and become greater than it currently is. Roumeliotis said she wants students to know that anyone can join the team as long as they are committed and motivated.
"We have fun and work hard," she said. "And I just want people to know that you can do it too."
