Rams Max Out at First Home Meet

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Lauren Gale posted three excellent times on Saturday, but only one of them counted.

The most impressive showing came before the 400 meters – her specialty – started. The meet official announced it was time to lose the warmup gear and settle into the blocks, and as the Colorado State junior walked to the edge of the track to remove her long-sleeved shirt, it hit her.

She didn't have her track jersey on underneath, just a sports bra.

"I went to lift my shirt up, and I was like, wow, I feel bare and the wind is hitting me," Gale said. "Luckily I had my bag right there and not across the track."

She sprinted over to the shed, put on her jersey and raced back out to the edge of the track to shed her leggings. Then she proceeded to blow away the field and her school record in the event by posting a 52.24.

"It was definitely funny to see her rush over and then get back to it," teammate DeVon Washington said.

It was one of many highlights on the day as the Rams made their home return in the outdoor season for the first time in two years at the Doug Max Invitational. The team enjoyed a slew of personal records and a host of people finding their way into the program's top 20, or even improving their standing, the Rams winning 13 events in a meet which included Colorado, Northern Colorado, the Colorado School of Mines and Wyoming.

Two school records fell, as sophomore Allam Bushara took down the triple jump mark with a 51.1-5, giving him both the indoor and outdoor marks in his first full track campaign.

The results were a welcome part of the day, because with nothing but training for two years between outdoor meets, many of the Rams wondered just where they stood.

"One of the biggest questions was how am I going to perform in front of a home crowd, just because I haven't run in a home track meet since I was junior," Washington said. "It's been a long time, and especially in the 200, I had to make sure I definitely got a PR because it shows I'm getting better and I'm making those improvement I need to make. It was more anxiety and nervousness rather than questioning.

"I definitely feel a lot better now that I've answered them. My biggest question going into it was could I stay smooth and could I maintain form. That's something I definitely demonstrated in the 200. It was maintaining my smoothness and making sure I didn't break down and closing on my finish. It lets me know I'm working just as hard at the beginning for the race as the end of the race."

Washington had a personal best in both of his races, his 46.82 in winning the 400 moving him from 14th to fourth in CSU history. In the 200, he had another PR (21.72) in taking second to teammate Tom Willems (21.63).

Highlights are always good, even better at home, coach Brian Bedard said. Competing at Jack Christiansen Field was a bonus for the team, making it easier to find the balance between taking practice habits into a meet with the proper mental approach. It can be a volatile mixture.

"Any time we compete it gives you an indication of where you're at with your training and competitive mindset," he said. "Sometimes the training is there, but your competitive mindset isn't. Sometimes you're mindsets there, but your training isn't. It gives you and your coach some feedback as to where you're at and what you need to work on, so it's really valuable."

Gale also ran the 200, but due to timing-system problems, there her heat had no official times. Handheld, she was clocked at 23.5, which would be a personal best. She declined a chance to run it again, saying it was too hot, she was too pale and didn't have enough sunblock.

Still, official or not, all of her times were impressive, and they answered all of the questions she had, too.

"Yes, more than I expected," Gale said. "I wasn't sure how training with masks was going to go, and we were split up into different practice groups and smaller practice groups. It worked out really well in my favor, and it gave me a mental break for a little bit. It's going really well so far.

"I know a lot of people were uncertain about where they were, and some people had good meets, some had bad. But we had a lot of time and training to build up for our goals, so I think everybody will be in a happy place with their training."

Sprints coach J.J. Riese was definitely encouraged by what transpired. He felt good about the training the team had done, noting even during the outdoor season, the team has been able to get outdoors, thanks to good weather in the state and the work done by the university's facilities team to keep the track clean of snow when it arrives.

Even still, training without tests leaves questions, and right now, he has very few. In the instance of Gale, he's pretty sure her target time of 51.00 (a 51.2 would get her a qualifying time for the Olympic Trials in Canada) is definitely in reach when they get her in a race where she'll be challenged.

"We're in a really good spot. A really good spot," Riese said. "Conference is five weeks away, so this is an excellent place to be. I think if we can get her in a race where she's got someone to fight with down the stretch that will probably put her in the 51 range. She could get that in Oklahoma; she's definitely going to see it at conference."

And she may even remember her jersey. Or maybe not.

Saturday wasn't the first time she has forgotten her uniform top. During a meet at Air Force, she had to wave to a teammate to drop it to her on the track. And each time, she's won the race.

So …

"I don't like to warm up in my uniform, because it's kinda tight," she explained. "I should probably start wearing actually, now that I think about it.

"Maybe not. 'Oh no, I forgot my uniform, a 51, yes!"

Hey, you take your times – particularly records -- however you can get them. Even if some of them don't actually count.

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