The Nevada Sagebrush

The Western Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship is imminent, and it will be held Friday and Saturday in Nampa, Idaho. Nevada finished third in last year’s indoor championship with 88 points, behind Louisiana Tech (133) and Utah State (132). The Wolf Pack will compete in all events, which will include the 60-, 200-, 400-  and 800-meter, the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and shot put.

ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS

Though the Wolf Pack has not yet reached the midway point of its season, head coach Shantel Twiggs gave her team’s preparedness level a positive assessment.

“I would say that the kids that are healthy and on their feet are ready to go,” she said. “We’ve done all we can to prepare.”

Twiggs stressed the importance of remaining level-headed. The Wolf Pack has had to travel frequently and far this season, going as far as New York for the New Balance Invitational on Feb. 4. The UCS Pole Vault Summit on Jan. 1 and 2 has been the only time the Wolf Pack competed in Reno, and there are no more home events scheduled after that.

“We are going to have to maintain composure and keep our confidence together,” she said. “We want this very bad.”

PACK PREPARATION

Twiggs and her athletes all have their own way of mentally preparing for a meet. Little rituals and exercises are hardly unusual for athletes; some of which border on superstition, or appear mind-boggling to the layman. Bizarre behavior, however, is not the case with the track and field team.

“I say a prayer before every competition,” said Twiggs, while describing her pre-meet ritual.

Twiggs shares this practice with junior jumper Deborah Amoah, who also mentioned that she “prays a lot.”

Another key element to Nevada’s success is remaining healthy, and it’s been a focal point for the team this year. Though not a contact sport, track and field can cause as much wear and tear as football or basketball. Senior jumper Nicole Williams is questionable for the WAC championships.Only time will tell if she will be able to compete.

“Staying healthy and doing everything you can to stay healthy (is key in preparing for the WAC championships),” Amoah said.

It’s not all grind for Wolf Pack athletes in training to compete for a championship, Amoah also says staying mentally at ease is a fundamental part of preparation.

“I try to stay relaxed and listen to music,” she said.

While describing the way she prepares herself for a meet, junior sprinter Angelica Earls said, “I always try to remind myself that it’s fun,” she said.  “It’s not the end of the world if I do bad.”

STAYING CONFIDENT

Maintaining the right mindset is something Earls also stressed as a vital part of winning a WAC championship. Earls said her team has already reached the proper mentality that she described.

“I think a lot of the girls have come a long way, including myself,” she said.

Both Amoah and Earls had high finishes at their previous meet, the Boise State Team Challenge on Feb. 11 and 12. Amoah had two first-place finishes, and took second in the long jump. Earls finished in third place in the 60-meter run event.

Amoah and Earls also made an impact on Nevada’s record books at that meet. Earls set a new record in the 60- and 200-meter dashes at 7.45 and 24.38 seconds, respectively. Amoah’s distance of 12.192 meters in the triple jump was good for third best among Wolf Pack athletes in that category.

Despite the growing intensity as the indoor championships approach, assistant coach Kirk Elias said the Wolf Pack will practice for the championship as if it were a normal meet.

“We are continuing to train,” he said, “We don’t prepare for this meet different than any other meet; it’s virtually the same.”

Elias played down the importance of the event seemingly as a tactic to keep his team’s nerves at ease, but he described the championship as being “a real dog fight,” referring to the competiveness of the meet.

Nevada has a legitimate shot at winning if the team can maintain the strategy that Wolf Pack coaches have imposed on their players, but the competition will be steep, Elias said.

“There are three to four teams that can win,” Elias said.

Elias identified those teams as Utah State, Idaho, Louisiana Tech and Nevada.

“It’s a relatively tight span between one to four — and we are definitely not favored — but it’s going to be darn close.”

Kyle Wise can be reached at sports@nevadasagebrush.com.

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