Track & Field breaking school records and performing well – The Cauldron
By Ben Hercik
Just prior to the start of winter break, the Cleveland State Track and Field team got their indoor portion of the season started. The team competed at two events, performing well at the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Open and the Youngstown State University (YSU) Icebreaker. Since returning from break, the team has competed in two more events, the Marshall Women’s Classic and the Youngstown Collegiate Invitational.
One athlete that performed well at all four events was sophomore Anna Brandt. Brandt won the one mile at the BGSU Open and placing second in the event at both YSU events. Brandt also won the 800 meters at the YSU Icebreaker and took third in the event at the Marshall Women’s Classic.
A multitude of other athletes have helped the team find success this year including sophomore Tylar Mixon and freshman Monica Johnson, who both set school records at the Marshall Women’s Classic. Mixon set the school record in the 200-meter Dash, posting a time of 25.95, which broke the school record by just one one-hundredth of a second. Johnson broke the school record in the 60-meter Hurdles, posting a time of 9.09. Brandt joined them, breaking the school record in the 800 meters with a time of 2:14.75, breaking a record that she set last season.
When asked about the teams performance at the event, Coach Madeleine Carleton thought that at both the Marshall Women’s Classic as well at the Youngstown State Collegiate Open, the team showed vast improvement.
“Both at Marshall and at Youngstown State last weekend, we had multiple runners win their sections of events and break records,” Carleton said. “The team is starting to gain confidence and go into meets with a different mindset. We are not just here to participate; we are now being competitive and trying to win.”
With the indoor portion of the season winding down, the focus now goes to the second half of the season. Carleton is very optimistic for the team as they head outdoors with her athletes being competitive as ever, and she gives a lot of credit to her assistant coaches for their assistance.
“Now that we are in our second official season, we are starting to gain some confidence,” Carleton said. “I am consistently seeing our athletes coming to meets to really compete. I give all the credit to my assistants Jason Hudson and Myles Tyler for helping me create a culture of success — our program would not be where it is without them.”