Those who can’t wait until summer to get their fix of Olympic-esque sports may want to make time to attend the Capital Classic Feb. 18 at the
Capital Center. Both Men’s and Women’s track and field teams will be competing in the final home meet of the season before the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships begin.
Both teams have a new leader this season, first year coach Kunle Lawson. Before coaching at Capital, Lawson was a Division III athlete himself, competing in hurdles, long jump, and the discus, the latter of which he still competes in today. Lawson also coached at the University of Richmond and Ohio University before accepting the head coaching job at Capital.
“I wanted the chance to lead a team. I was a Division III athlete myself, so I know what it’s all about. I also think you have more of an impact on student’s lives in Division III than you do in Division I,” Lawson said.
Lawson may be a first time head coach, but he has lofty goals for the teams.
“I want them to be as competitive as possible. The first year is rough because you can’t recruit and you just have to work with what you have, which is still pretty good here.
“I want the teams to win the OAC title within three years. It’ll be challenging, but we have a good coaching staff that understands that, and the students are beginning to understand that as well,” Lawson said.
When asked about some of the highlights of the teams’ success this season, Lawson said he was proud of the women’s team for their second-place finish at the OAC split meet.
“This meet showed them they can compete with teams on our side of the conference, and looking at how the times mixed with those on the other side, I think we can compete with them as well,” Lawson said.
For the men, their highlight came last weekend at Cedarville. Though they only finished in fifth place, they were competing against Division II and NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) schools.
The Cedarville meet also saw many personal achievements, as a few school records fell.
Mitch Auchmuty broke his own school record in the weight throw with a toss of 46-09.50 (previous record 46-06.25).
Senior Alex Moore also bested himself with a time of 16:13.54 in the 5,000-meter run (previous record 16:33.39).
Finishing out the record breakers was junior Emily Sheets who broke her own school record in the high jump with a mark of 5-05.00 (previous record 5-03.25).
For the final home meet, Lawson wants his players to tune up before the OAC championships.
“We may not run the entire team, but I want this to be a final boost of confidence. These teams both have a lot of potential. Over the next couple years, we’re going to surprise some people. We will move back to prominence in the OAC, and then nationally,” Lawson said.
The track teams warm up for next week’s Capital Classic with Friday’s Ohio Wesleyan Open in Delaware.
