Indoor track kicks off last season in Great West

Javelin throwing isn't a problem outdoors.

For indoor track, however, the event is slightly more difficult.

The Seattle University indoor track team started its season last Saturday with a meet at the University of Washington and coach Trisha Steidl has high hopes for the rest of the season.

This being its last year in the Great West Conference, the team wants to go out with a bang.

"[We want to] do as much as we can, leave an impression here but also kind of propel ourselves to the next conference which will be ... a more competitive conference," said Steidl. "We definitely need to step up our game this year so we're really ready for next year."

Team members are eager for the challenge.

"I feel like it's a sport where you can push yourself to the limit and kind of see how far you can go," said junior sprinter Meeghan Bergmann. "It teaches you a lot about discipline and about always challenging yourself."

Bergmann has been running both indoor and outdoor track since her freshman year.

Though the field is slightly smaller for indoor track, the biggest difference for the runners is the atmosphere.

"There are no weather elements so it doesn't matter what it's doing outside," Steidl said. "We don't have to worry about wind and rain or even the sun and it being hot."

But whether it is outside or inside, the athletes appreciate the sport.

"Running's just something that I love and I get a lot of enjoyment out of it," said sophomore long distance runner Hannah Mittelstaedt.

Even if she didn't run, Mittelstaedt said she still would have chosen Seattle U. But a solid track program was a big part of her college search.

For many of the athletes, it was a combination of the opportunities as well as the university's values that drew them here

for school.

"I think that track was a factor in my decision, but I love SU for the social justice basis and the Jesuit education," Bergmann said. "I definitely knew I wanted to run in college so it was a good package overall."

Academics can be difficult to balance, but not impossible. According to sophomore team member Zac Schlachter, the practice times stay consistent and he has learned to work around his commitments.

"I think being on track makes you recognize that you have to take care of your body sleep-wise and food-wise," Bergmann said. "That helps you into a routine and excel at academics because you are setting a routine and that means you have to be disciplined."

The team proved that they are not only capable of managing a tight schedule, but they are good at it. The men's cross country team, all of whom also run track, had the highest GPA out of all the sports and the women's team had the highest GPA among all the women's sports.

"Our entire track and field team as a whole got the best GPA that we've ever had," Steidl said. "They really impressed me with what they did this quarter."

This has been an area of focus for the team and it is therefore something Steidl is most proud of about her team.

"I'm just excited about the direction our program is going in the time I've been here," she said. "We're bigger, we're more competitive. Honestly we get along better. They work really hard but they work really hard together."

Because she knows her team is talented, there is a lot that Steidl and the other coaches want to accomplish and don't always have the resources for.

"The biggest struggle is funding," she said. "There are more and more people on the team and there's meets that we would like to go to that we currently can't afford to go to."

Despite the limitations, however, the team is ready for the year.

"We are very creative with making things work here," Steidl said.

She is really excited for Logan Field to be done so that her athletes will have a space to run, jump and throw.

"That's so thrilling for me and that's really going to help things."

Colleen may be reached at cfontana@su-spectator.com