Newcomers make immediate impact for Rams

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- They don't come with guarantees.

Packed in the bags of collegiate freshmen athletes are promise and potential, right next to a pile of unknown. A learning curve is tucked in there, but it's as different as each individual.

For coaches, a dash of patience goes with a scoop of persistence, and in some cases, the promise becomes production. The payoff for Colorado State's track & field teams was the youngest Rams played a key role in the sweeping of the indoor and outdoor Mountain West championships.

Overall, five of them made an impact during the outdoor season, many of whom also contributed during the indoor season. Lauren Gale won the 400 meters titles at both events, while Germain Barnes won the 400 hurdles outdoors as true freshmen. Redshirt freshman Jackson Morris' trio of placings earning him high-point honors outdoors for the men, while Adam Dawson led a 1-2-3 sweep of the discus. Another redshirt freshman, Tarynn Sieg, placed in three events for the women.

And all of them get to see the next step at this week's NCAA West Preliminaries in Sacramento, Calif., which runs Thursday through Saturday at Hornet Stadium on the campus of Sacramento State University.

The meet is large, with 48 competitors in each event. There are no finals, just quarterfinals to determine the top 12 qualifiers to advance the NCAA Championships. For CSU head coach Brian Bedard, it is a pressure cooker unique to itself, and seeing it up close and in person early is a major benefit for the future, for them and the team.

"I think so," he said. "It definitely gives them a look at the next level. Logistically, this meet is a challenge, just the size of it. It's unlike any meet they go to. The earlier they experience it and figure out what it's all about, the better.

"They can get a comfort level and understand what it is, and that's huge."

Gale, a Canadian citizen who spent two years running for Discovery Canyon High School in Colorado Springs when her father was based there, obviously paid immediate dividends. Not that she expected to herself, and Bedard had to be convinced.

He said she's such a "sweetheart," he wasn't sure she had it in her to be lethal, then he watched her under fire.

"She's a beast," he corrected.

Now she owns the school outdoor record in the 400 at 52.68, sitting second with her indoor time of 54.25.

The analogy makes her laugh.

"I think I just get in race mode or focus mode, and I don't like to lose, but I also like to be nice about it," Gale said. "I think just my competitive dive comes out when I get in the blocks, then just switch back afterward and congratulate everyone."

While her immediate success comes as a bit of a surprise, even for a young lady who has competed and won as a member of Canadian National teams, it took longer than Barnes expected to get to his title.

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His early struggles led to him not being part of the indoor team, as Bedard told him he just wasn't consistent enough. He also told Barnes he had the talent to make it happen. For Barnes, he had to find a balance and chemistry with new hurdles coach J.J. Riese, as well as with his habits off the track.

An admitted candy fiend with a penchant for Twizzlers, he found much needed to change.

"Now that I've really started to get a good breakfast, then on top of that, better eating habits in general, I was really able to come and bring it a lot better in practice," Barnes said. "I mean, I was the typical freshman. You know what it is freshman year, but I definitely turned it all around. I'm proud of it."

He wasn't alone in struggles, as it took Dawson a redshirt year to find his groove as a collegiate athlete. As good as he was in high school, he was on the smallish size for the discus in college and the heavier device. It gave him fits, and Bedard said he had to learn how to fly it wobble free. To add on, he had to deal with a shoulder surgery.

Much of that work was done, on his own, in the offseason. The result was his six throws in the outdoor meet were the six best of the day. After what Bedard referred to as a "whole serving of humble pie," the payoff was tremendous.

"I told him at the beginning of the year after I started seeing where he was at in the fall he was going to be the Mountain West conference champion," Bedard said. "I told him I'm not saying that to put pressure on you, I just think that's what you're capable of. He had to buy in and believe that, too."

Valuable pieces, yes. Finished products, no. All of them have aspects to improve, with Barnes acting like he tops the list. Bedard said his win in the 400 hurdles was ugly, and Barnes wasn't about to disagree, and he wants to see how much ground he can cover before the next meet.

"I'm excited, but also it's really time to dial in. I rely on speed a lot in the 400 hurdles, but now, everybody's fast at that first round," he said. "I can't rely on speed. I have work on my form and make sure everything is crisp.

"I really need to attack the hurdle a lot better. I don't really stutter, but it's like I bound to the hurdle. If I could just attack and run straight through … The big issue I have is I kinda separate the 400 hurdles from the 110s, and the hurdling aspect of it just needs to be one. Once I can get rid of that disconnect and make it just one hurdle, I'll get better. The 110s, you have to be aggressive. I have to be that aggressive in the 400."

Personally, Gale had no idea she'd be this good for the Rams this soon. She also said her classmates didn't approach it having to make an impact. They just did, and they expect to do so in the future.

"We were just trying to hopefully score a single point at conference and see how it went," Gale said. "A lot of the freshmen played a big role, and that's really exciting for the future. We're going to stay, so hopefully get some more points, too.

"I think they're bringing in more people, and with the coaching staff, they're going to bring in freshmen to keep scoring. The young class needs to keep scoring and keep getting better. I'm excited."

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Germain Barnes

Adam Dawson

Lauren Gale

Jackson Morris

Tarynn Sieg

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