Guilford College Track and Field may have a small roster, but that does not stop them from competing at to their fullest.

Women’s track and field Head coach Marla Lindsay says that she sees this year as a growth year. Since the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship meet is the pinnacle point of the year for many of the athletes, she says that this is the perfect time to compete.

“I think we are in a good position to definitely grow more,” said Lindsay. “There have been a lot of changes and new learning habits have occurred in our practices. We will have a better attitude going in and the outcome will be ‘now that we have done it, let’s shoot for the next one’. My expectations are always high because I always like to see them compete.”

Lindsay says that many of her first-year athletes are starting to adapt and grow the most. She is excited to see how they perform because they have been working hard in practice and improving every day.

“I see Carmen (Curtis) breaking that 13 (second) barrier,” said Lindsay. “It’s very easy to do, but we must fix her start. Jamie Britt, with a soccer background, has great potential with her explosive power. Erica Chandler will be an amazing 200m and 400m runner. She is learning how to run in phases and every track meet she gets better.”

Sommer Fanney has played an impactful role for many of the athletes. Since she has been running for Guilford for all her tenure, Lindsay says that her demeanor has caught the attention of her teammates.

“Sommer has been amazing with the team,” said Lindsay. “She has been here long enough and has the discipline that every athlete sees and takes notice of it. So, when she graduates this year, I hope it lingers around.”

As for men’s track and field, is it much of the same. Each athlete throughout the season have surpassed their personal records in their respected events. At VertKlasse Meeting, hosted by High Point University, Guilford athletes set the tone. First-year Alex Heck led the team in throwing with a distance of 29.54 meters., the eighth longest throw in college history. Senior Caleb Anderson paced distance in the 800m by pulling together a top 25 finish and a time of 2:09.50. First-year Asa Bell also performed well, achieving a top 25 finish in the 100m sprint by getting a time of 11.44 seconds.

At North Carolina A&T, Sophomore Wanya Alford barely missed a top-10 finish in triple jump, leaping for 13.03 meters. Sophomore John Martinez, the only distance runner from Guilford at this meet, ran a blistering 2:05.91, finishing twenty-third in the field. Senior Josephus Mitchell rounded out Guilford’s sprints by clocking at 11.25 second sprint, his second best this year.