The Virginia men's track and field team never seems to stop. Unlike most athletes who play in the spring, these Cavaliers have been competing for over a month and still are only midway through their indoor season.
Now, as they continue to compete indoors and look ahead to the spring season outside, the team and their coaches are recognizing their capabilities.
"We have a ways to go until we move outdoors, but we've been doing really well this winter and we are looking for that to carry over into the spring," assistant coach Jason Dunn said.
The Cavaliers have faired well in their past two meets - the Virginia Tech Invitational Jan. 19 and the Blue Heaven Invitational at UNC Jan. 26 - making their presence known to the competition.
At UNC, senior Shay Clark and junior Scott Kimball both beat their fastest times of the season in the 60-meter sprint. Clark finished in 6.91 seconds and Kimball at 7.03.
The distance medley team won their event in just over 10 minutes, proving they will be strong contenders this spring. Senior long jumper/hurdler Jarrett Hagwood also turned in strong performances in both of his events.
The Cavaliers will count on these athletes, along with others like senior Stephen Gross, a returning All-ACC mile-runner, to stay fast on the track, but they also will depend on other team members to maintain their strength in the field.
Javelin throwers Brian Kollar and John Welch earned recognition for their skills during the 2001 season and will hope to continue this trend in 2002.
This season, coach Randy Bungard leads a group of veterans who posted a third-place finish in the ACC and ranked 39th in the NCAA at the end of the 2001 season, but he also will be looking to some of the newer members of the team for big performances.
Hagwood was optimistic about the team's strength and its potential to translate that into positive results at meets.
"I think our team as a whole has a lot of depth on it, people are really stepping up this year, and we should contend for the top three in the ACC again," he said.
Virginia is optimistic about the busy season ahead. They face Virginia Tech in Blacksburg this weekend, followed by the ACC Indoor Championships and NCAA Indoor Championships.
In order to achieve their goals for the season, the Cavaliers will need to stay fast and focused. Hagwood credits his coach for the team's cool-headedness in these times of stress, saying that "it helps to have a coach like Randy to stay positive," and to keep these athletes on course during the challenge of the coming season.
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