Muskingum Track continues its progression

Muskingum Track team continues to thrive as Coach Jacob Gleason and Coach Ashley Shaffer prepare the team for the OAC qualifiers meet. With the up and coming OAC meet, Coach Gleason is proud of how well the team has developed and taken to his coaching method.

“The freshmen have learned how to adapt to my coaching techniques and how to react at competitions we compete at,” said Coach Gleason.

Junior Demetrius Bailey hopes to hit a peak triple jump mark for nationals again. So far, his best jump this year has been 46.10.75.

“Me, as well as a select few on the team, need to be a little more focused if we want to all get where the coaches know we are capable of being”.

Coach Gleason is proud of the team for beating Marietta and Capital in pasts meets but is looking forward to the outdoor season and the home meet that Muskingum will be hosting.

“I believe our success so far this year has also came from us becoming more of a focused group and letting the athletes get comfortable with the training, “ says Graduate Assistant Coach Ashley Shaffer.

In this upcoming meet, she is looking for Demetrius Bailey, Jeff Ickles, and Hannah Hilliard to be big assets and get both great marks and steady times on Friday and Saturday.

Coach Shaffer loves the meets and being able to watch her athletes perform. She said her most memorable memory of this year was when Hannah Hilliard hit her personal record in triple jump with a distance of 33.10 1⁄4.

Another athlete of Muskingum Track and field team junior Brittany Willis, who runs the 400, 200, 4x400 and the 4x200, is also looking to be a positive addition to upcoming meets.

“I think that we have progressed well from last year to this year, and I hope to go to conference and qualify for nationals.”

With only the OAC and the last chance meet soon to come, everyone wants a shot for nationals. But if that does not come, Brittany’s best memory so far is when her and the sprint medley team she was in came in first place in their heat and ranked 23rd in the nation.

So far the Muskingum Track and field team are off to a great year with the indoor season almost concluding and the outdoor season soon to begin. After the OAC meet this weekend, athletes will have one more shot to make it to nationals. How will the Muskies react?