Under the Arch: Day One

 

Written By: Mike Daugherty, Dean of Students, Student Affairs

 

Competition for the fourteen EOU track and field athletes begins tomorrow.  Track… marathon to 100 meters, long jump to pole vault; hammer to javelin. It’s all here. 

 

Wednesday morning started off with the EOU and Azuza Pacific student athletes meeting in the gym at E.H Lyle Academy Middle and High School. E. H. is inner city charter college prep. school and they gave the college athletes a warm welcome. The presentation by the coaches and athletes from EOU and Azuza Pacific was an expression of community service as part of the five core values of the NAIA; Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship, Integrity, and Servant Leadership.

 

Student athletes talked about the value of sport, the importance of going to college, what teamwork and commitment meant to them, striving for excellence on and off the field of competition, what their events were like, and more. They demonstrated how to wind up for the hammer throw, how far a triple jumper can really go, and yes you would have to more than jump over the height of the entry door to the gym in order to quality for the high jump at nationals.

 

After a question and answer period for both teams, the E.H. students swarmed the gm floor to talk with the athletes and tested to see just how sharp that javelin was and the heaviness of the hammer. Our students did a great job. Our education and MTE students on the track team really shined. It was a proud moment for me and EOU. We are well represented here at nationals.

 

The official kick off the meet was at noon today at the NAIA Track and Field Hall of Fame Banquet. Head coach Ben Welch and I were in attendance. It was a very fine event where all the region’s Coaches Of The Year were honored as well as the two (men’s and women’s) national Coaches Of The Year. The men’s and women’s Champions of Character Team Recognition awards were given. The highlight was the induction of Suzanne Einspahr (Doane College cross-country star) and Loyd Smith (Franklin College javelin star) inductions into the NAIA Hall of Fame.

 

Tomorrow we have students competing in the men’s hammer final, women’s pole vault final, men’s javelin final, the men’s 1500meter trials; and women’s and men’s steeplechase trials.  The men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon also begin tomorrow. It will be a busy day beginning before 10:00am when the combined events start and ending after the 8:00pm running of the men’s steeplechase trials. Stay tuned.

 

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