Coyote track and field team hosts first outdoor meet in brand new Lillibridge Track Complex
The first outdoor track meet at USD in 30 years was held yesterday at the Lillibridge Track Complex, which was completed earlier this year.
With the premier of the new facility, energy at the USD Twilight meet was high among its Coyote track athletes.
Sophomore Lindsay Joyce, who won the 1500, said the good weather and the new track aided in her race mentality during the meet.
“It was probably the nicest running weather you could ask for,” she said. “I was very excited for the meet and I basically just wanted to have fun. There were a lot of USD girls in my race and so it was almost like we were doing a workout together, just pushing each other and helping each other along. I wasn’t really nervous about it, just excited to run on the new track with all of my teammates.”
Brennan Schmidt, a first-year at USD, won the 100-meter dash.
“The new facility in itself was enough to get me pumped for the meet,” he said. “I was really excited because it’s an amazing facility to be able to run fast and compete. It’s a great experience.”
While Schmidt didn’t achieve a best time in the 100, he said he was still happy with his performance.
Joyce, on the other hand, achieved a personal best in the 1500 by 10 seconds. The solid performance of her teammates also added to the team’s achievement overall.
“Today was really good for me. The weather just keeps getting nicer and the training is going really well,” she said. “As a team as a whole, I think we are finally starting to come together. We’ve had a few injuries, but people are starting to come back from that. We’re all getting healthy and hitting our stride.”
With the Summit League Championships just a month away, the team has their sights set on success. While Joyce’s goal is to score at least one point for the team, Schmidt wants to place in the top eight in all the events he races.
Schmidt said his preparation until then will hopefully yield success for both individual and team results.
“Constantly, the conference meet is always in the back of your head during practice. Just go out and think about that blue and green running in front of you, running fast and trusting the training,” he said. “To win Summit League on our brand new track would be fantastic.”
USD will host the Summit League Championships in the new complex May 12 through the 14.
