Post Classifieds
Runners ready to put injuries behind them
By Aaron Garland
On April 7, 2012
After an injury-riddled indoor season that featured highs and lows, the Buffalo State men's and women's
track and field teams are healthier and prepared for the upcoming outdoor season.
Injuries were a big factor in limiting the success of several athletes during indoor season, which in turn
limited overall team success.
"A couple of the injuries were probably season-ending injuries, but we're definitely healthier than at the
end of indoor, but not as healthy as we'd like to be," assistant coach Dustin Dimit said.
The indoor season was one that saw both teams place high at the SUNYAC meet. The men finished in
third place as a team, while the women were second. The women's team also sent three athletes to the
NCAA championships in Iowa, where sophomore Jazmin Dunham placed fifth in the 60-meter hurdles,
becoming an All-American in the process.
In addition to competing at nationals, junior Sasha Henry was named the United States Track & Field
and Cross Country Coaches Association Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year. The USTFCCCA also
recognized assistant coach Markus Allen as the region's Women's Assistant Coach of the Year.
The third athlete to qualify for indoor nationals was senior Erica Johnson, but she was unable to
compete due to injury.
Both teams are young and show plenty of promise for the outdoor season. Both teams spent time in the
USTFCCCA top-25 national rankings during the indoor season.
As the track and field program has sustained a high level of success in recent years, the team is fully
expecting another season of top finishes in individual and team events for the outdoor season.
"Another high finish at the conference meet, hopefully top three for both teams," Dimit said of the
team's expectations for the outdoor season. "Just getting some more All-Americans, getting some relays
to nationals, and just continuing to build on the season, and to develop our young athletes."
Sophomore sprinter Jalen Law looks to build off of an indoor season in which he had three first-place
finishes. Law, along with sophomore hurdler Chris Rones and sophomore sprinter Jimmy Campbell,
figure to be some of the key athletes on the men's side. Campbell and Rones each were named SUNYAC
track athlete of the week during the indoor season.
"The one thing I can say that I can improve on for this outdoor season is to create more standards for
myself," Law said. "Every week that I race (I need) to come up with a mental plan for me to prepare
myself for the races."
Law also sees the outdoor season as a completely different task than indoor in terms of his training and
preparation.
"It's a much different intensity, much different type of mental exercises for myself because it's a
different energy comparing indoor to outdoor," Law said. "There's more energy for outdoor, it's more
free. It doesn't feel as constricted as opposed to indoor season."
The usual suspects are in line to compete at a high level for the women. Johnson, Dunham and Henry
should all be in contention to qualify for nationals.
Freshman Mariah Brown also looks to build off of an indoor season that saw her capture a SUNYAC track
athlete of the week award of her own. She won the award after a meet at the RIT Invitational, where
she won three events.
Henry has unfinished business coming into the season, and is a little bitter on not performing better at
indoor nationals, which fuels her for the outdoor season.
"Nationals didn't work out the way I wanted (them) to work out, so it leaves me more hungry, and
(with) more want, to win All-American status," Henry said. "Because I know I could have placed, but it's
because certain stuff happened, and it's just an experience for me because it's my first time. So, at least
I know what to do next time."
Dimit noted that improvements can be made and that the team should continue to develop.
"We have a really young team," Dimit said. "The way our training is set up, outdoor should always go
better than indoor because we're building upon last season. So we just need to continue to develop our
young athletes, and hopefully the weather will co-operate because that's always a concern in outdoor
track."
The men's and women's teams will open their seasons at the University of Rochester this Saturday.
Aaron Garland can be reached at garland.record@live.com.
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