Inaugural Track & Field Season

By Jordon D. Semien

   

   For all the big events happening on the campus of Montevallo so early this year, a special date has gone almost unnoticed. On February 23^rd, the University of Montevallo will field it’s first ever Track and Field team, headed by Cross Country Coach, Tommy Barksdale.

   The first meet will be held in Columbus, Georgia, on the campus of Columbus State University. After a year of hard work and preparation, Coach Barksdale is ready to see the fruits of his labors: “It’s a great thing, it’s exciting. The girls are very excited …but to see it go from the ground up…it’s a very exciting time”

   It’s a team mixed up with freshmen recruits, and Junior College transfers, lead by the second year coach out of Mississippi St. Expectations my be high, but Coach knows that this being the first season, it might take a while to get some traction, but they’re ready to hit the ground running: “We always have high expectations…We are a true start up program, and we are trying to build up from scratch. That makes it kind of tough to begin with, but we’re making it”

   Cross Country Star Kaley Glover may not be competing on the Track and Field team, but from her time under Coach Barksdale’s tutelage, she’s sure that the program is in excellent hands: “I think it’s going to be great. He knows a lot about coaching, he knows a lot about the science behind coaching. So I really think it’s going to help the program out. They have such a good coach”.

  As for now, the team uses the intramural fields on campus and training facilities in Calera for practice, lacking an official training facility of their own on campus. Coach hopes that within the next year or two, they’ll have enough funds to build on campus facilities: “A lot of that is going to be trying to get some donations and things. But the way things are going now, if we can pick up something, it could be in year”.

   Coach also pointed out that in his mind, there’s a big advantage to training on the Cross Country course, saying that he believes that if you practice on grass, you’ll be that much faster on the track.

   After their first meet at Columbus State, the Falcons will then travel Birmingham Southern on March 8^th and 9^th, followed by a visit to Samford University on March 15^th and 16^th.  To keep up with the team, check out the Women’s Track and Field homepage and stay tuned to Falcon Fever and Falcon Weekly for more updates