Track &; field starts on promising note

The UW-River Falls track and field team has began with a promising start at their first meets so far in their indoor season.

“So far we are looking strong. Our team is doing well with workouts and is starting to put up great times, distances and height when we compete at meets,” said captain Colleen Kopel. “Our coaches are making difficult workouts for everyone so that when it comes time to back off, we are ready to run fast, throw far and jump high. Overall, I think a large team goal is to get people to the NCAA nationals. We want to get as many athletes as possible on the provisional lists. On a smaller scale, we want to be competitive in the conference meet. The WIAC has one of the most if not the most competitive conference in D3. We want to be in the top three with conference and give LaCrosse a run for their money.”

UWRF placed third out of 12 teams at the Stevens Point Invitational Feb 5.
“The team has been great so far and always has been through the years I’ve been on it,” said Kopel. “Even though it’s an individual sport, we are all a team. We have got a lot of new athletes this year and in a year or two the team
will be really impressive.”

Being a part of the track and field team has been a positive experience, said sprinters captain Lucas Mueller. “Track and field has really made my college career a more exciting and interesting experience,” he said. “I have met so many people and have gained a lot of friends on the team. They are like my family. Running for the Falcons gives me something to look forward to each day and push myself both on the track and as a student. Overall, track has been an amazing time here at UWRF. I do not ever regret going out for the team, even on the hardest days of practice, it is all worth it. I believe we have two main goals for the season. One is to improve our conference standings on both the men’s and women’s side as well as send more athletes to the National Indoor Meet in March.”

With a new head coach, Aaron Decker, the track and field team hopes to achieve their season goals.

“This is our first year under our new head coach Aaron Decker. Our women’s team is also much larger than it has been in the past, which is very exciting for us as a program,” said captain Brittni LaFontsee. “Our goals for the season are to place in the top three at both the indoor and outdoor WIAC Conference meets. We would also like to produce several All-Americans again this year. We have a wonderful program with a wonderful bunch of people. We are a family. It has been one of the best experiences of my college career.”

Kevin Rengo, who does the pentathlon during the indoor season and the decathlon during the outdoor season, hopes to do well this season of track and field.

“I want to finish in the top five in the conference in the decathlon as well as top three in the javelin during the outdoor season,” said Rengo. “A lot of people worked really hard in the off-season and it is showing in the competitions. I’m excited to see how well we can finish at the conference meet and see how many athletes can get to the national meet.”