Rams Start to Build a Rhythm Early

Not every day will be ideal.

Maybe it's the weather, a lingering ailment. Maybe an athlete just doesn't feel right. Could be anything, like an unexpected start.

If they compete for Colorado State's track and field team, none of it should matter. Coach Brian Bedard has built a winning culture based on no excuses. There were a few instances throughout the day, but what pleased Bedard was his team brushed them aside.

"I don't mind when things come up and you have to work through those. Then they're less fragile in a conference championship meet and the stars don't align. They need to be adaptable," Bedard said at the Jack Christiansen Invitational on Saturday. "You want to see that. Obviously pulling you sweats off before you run …"

He trailed off as he chuckled. No excuses. Not even if there are no officials lining the track at relay exchanges and you can't hear the starting gun.

Taye Holker thought she heard a gun for the start of the 400 meter relay, but she wasn't sure. She wasn't alone, as the other anchor legs in the event were startled too. The only difference, they were in uniform, Holker still in warmup gear.

Not to say there wasn't an initial moment of panic, but she assessed the situation and reacted.

"At first, I was like, was that the gun for us? I needed to make sure, and I looked over and saw my teammate running," she said. "I had about 25 seconds to get ready, and I still had two shirts and my sweats on. Instantly, it was panic: Am I running in my sweats or taking them off? I acted as quick as I could, and I barely got them off in time and I got down in my position and she was already coming. I barely made it, but it worked out.

"Now I'll make sure I'm more prepared for the 4x1, to make sure I'm ready to go and my sweats are off before the gun goes off. I found out our second leg, Makayla Williams, she had about 12 seconds and she was in her sweats when the gun went off, so she ran in her sweats. None of us knew what was happening. It's good to have this out of the way early."

She ran well, with the Rams finishing second. Overall, it was a pretty good day at an early season meet for the team on a day when the weather started on the cool side then gave way to a bit of sun in the afternoon. Even with a high school meet running concurrently.

There was definitely success on the field side, with the Rams winning nine events. In two instances – the men's discus and women's pole vault – the team had 1-2-3 finishes. In two others, a 1-2 finish. Michaela Hawkins continued her run by winning the discus, and the Rams swept as Mariano Kis won the men's side. For the men, Kyle Bigley won the shot put (18.13 meters, seventh all-time), Hari Brogan won the high jump, Allam Bushara the triple jump and Sam Mrky the pole vault. The women had Mali Stermer (triple jump) and Maria Kimpson (pole vault) lead the field, as did Holker in the long jump.

Part of the early season is getting back in the flow and finding a rhythm, especially for someone like Holker who competes in multiple events, bouncing from the track to field venues. Her focus will always be the long jump, and after spending the past few months injured, her goals were to find her form.

She did, on her last attempt, though she had two jumps longer (the top two jumps in the competition) earlier.

"For me, it was really just trying to get back into the flow of long jumping. I've been hurt for a few months, so really just getting my speed back is what it was for me," she said. "It was trying to feel my stride getting quicker again, and I was able to find that on my very last jump.

"I don't necessarily care how far I jump. It would have been nice to jump as far as I was hoping for, but really, I was able to feel what I needed to feel and that's really what was important. When I go to the next meet and the meet after that I'll try to replicate that and hopefully the marks will come."

Bedard is a huge fan of Holker's approach, one he'd like to see mimicked.

Have a goal, but more importantly, have a plan on how reach the mark.

"I really like what she said. I had an eye on some marks, so she was hopeful," he said. "She also had technical and runway cues she wanted to hit to feel like the competition is productive. I like her mindset. That's' what we're trying to do."

At the midpoint of the meet, Colorado State recognized former coach Del Hessel for his recent induction into the Colorado Runners Hall of Fame. A standout competitor for the Rams in the early 1960s, he coached the team in two different stints, from 1970-76, then returning from 1999-2006. In that time, he produced more than 20 All-Americans, inducted into the CSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.

As the running resumed, so did the Rams' success, as there were plenty of wins on the track.

Naya Jamison won the 100 hurdles and was second in the 400 in a time (59.38) which ranks her sixth at the school. The women also picked up a win from Quinn McConnell in the 1,500.

For the men, Benny Randall won the men's 5,000, Jack Wetterling led a 1-2 finish in the 400 hurdles and Tyler Colwell was impressive in both of his races, his runner-up finish in the 100 matching his personal best of 10.42 which ranks top five at the school, then following up with a win in the 200.

Like Holker, he was looking for points of improvement more than place, but hitting both was a plus.
"We just look for execution in the early season. Really break down that form and make sure you're doing everything right," he said. "Getting out on the curve, running tall and things like that. I'm not worried about times, just execution, but it's always great to win.

"We just try to adapt to whatever conditions are there. We can't do anything about it, so we just do our best. We try to execute what we've been training for. I think that mentality just strengthens our whole team in general. It strengthens our mentality, strengthens our drive to do better, because people aren't going to hold up for us. You just have to keep hitting it hard. No excuses."

When it happens in the meet, he said he feels prepared. Sprints coach J.J. Riese will throw him curves at practice, like a few extra reps which weren't in the plan he has to muscle through. Teammate Ben Kirbo found out before his 3,000 steeplechase a field of three had been trimmed down to just him. So he has to push himself.

It's a building block which comes in handy when as a freshman Colwell was challenged at big meet.

"At the indoor conference championships, I was just a little freshman, and I didn't know what to expect," he said. "But hey, we're going to throw you in the 60 final and the 200 final, so, you've got to show up. No excuses, even if you're an 18-year old against all these older kids, you just have to do what you have to do.

"I've been able to implement that into every meet since then. It's definitely boosted my confidence in general and I go into every race thinking I can do this."

Even if it's getting the sweats off in time to run in a relay.

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Players Mentioned

Kyle Bigley

Hari Brogan

Allam Bushara

Tyler Colwell

Michaela Hawkins

Maria Kimpson

Ben Kirbo

Mariano Kis

Quinn McConnell

Sam Mrky

Mali Stermer

Jack Wetterling

Makayla Williams