Indoor track prepares for season-opener at Cushing |
| Posted by Administrator on Dec 10 2008 |
Photos by Kevin Whetstone
UNK sophomore EJ Ganson of Kearney warms up before taking on the hurdles during indoor track practice Monday afternoon. The Lopers open the 2008-2009 season Friday with the UNK Pre-Doliday Open at Cushing Coliseum.
By Garrett Ritonya
Antelope Staff
The University of Nebraska at Kearney Indoor Track team begins their 2009 season on Friday, Dec. 12, when they host the UNK Pre-Holiday Open at Cushing Coliseum.
Leading UNK is co-head coach Andy Meyer, entering his 7th season as the indoor track head coach. Joining Meyer on the staff as a co-head coach is Cross Country Head Coach Brady Bonsall. Bonsall was recently promoted to the position with a recommendation from Meyer.
The Lopers are looking to improve on a third place finish in the RMAC Championships last season by both the men's and women's teams. Returning for the women is seasoned veteran, senior hurdler Kelli Dring of Kearney. Last season Dring won three of the RMAC events, including the triple jump. She also had top five finishes in all of her other events.
"Last season we finished really strong with those third place finishes," Bonsall said. "We graduated perhaps one of the best distance running groups in the history of the school, but we have plenty of upcoming talent to replace them."
While the men's side of the team is returning several key performers, the women are relying on a lot on their young talent. Bonsall said that while many of them may be freshmen, there are a few who have the potential to outperform their class rank and gather that much needed experience by the season's end.
Returning on the men's side is junior thrower Dane Tobey of Waco. Tobey returns this season after suffering a season-ending injury to his knee. He was tabbed by the RMAC as one of their top selections for their Preseason All-Conference team. Prior to that, Tobey was one of the top performers on the UNK squad, as well as among the leaders in the RMAC in throwing the hammer.
"We are excited to have (Dane) Tobey returning to the team this season," Bonsall said. "He adds experience to a relatively young squad."
The Lopers compete in several indoor track events this season, roughly four per month ending in February with the RMAC Championships and hopefully moving on to March when the NCAA Championships are held in Houston. UNK hosts three events this season, the first coming up on Friday.
"Cushing is a great atmosphere for our track team during competitions," Bonsall said. "It gets so loud in there, so we love every bit of support we can get from our fans as we look to get the season started and get our athletes qualified for the NCAAs."
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