Senior Joel Gaddy is one of two Mountaineers who has qualified for the NCAA Regional Meet. (Photo: ASU Athletics)

Mountaineers Sprint Toward Track SoCon Championships
by Ryan Wixted/The Appalachian

April 25, 2008 - BOONE, N.C.- Two days in April. That’s the theme for the Appalachian State University men’s and women’s track and field team as they prepare for the Southern Conference Outdoor Championship to be held in Cullowhee this weekend.

“Saturday and Sunday are the only two days that will mean anything for the season,” ASU head track coach John Weaver said. “That’s the two days where you want to be prepared to do whatever is necessary for you to take the best of what we have.”

After weeks of practice and preparing for this weekend, both teams will be taking it light this week at workouts in order to avoid injuries before the meet.

“It’s an easy week for us,” senior long jumper Joel Gaddy said. “It’s about resting up, icing up, and taking care of any little problems that we may have. We also work on technique, and trying to get that down right.”

The men’s track and field team have a little bit of revenge on their minds from last year, when Western Carolina University won the SoCon championship crown in Boone.

“Western came here and won it, so we want to take a victory lap around their track this year,” Gaddy said.

While team goals are first priority, there are some personal goals for several athletes on both men’s and women’s teams.

For Gaddy, winning both the long jump and triple jump would be icing on the cake for his final SoCon Championship meet.

“I want to go out and get another ring. It’s been a while since I’ve had one of them,” Gaddy said. “Last time we went to Western we won it, so I want that same feeling.”

The women’s team is also expecting a strong performance this weekend, but will have to get past favorite and reigning outdoor SoCon champion Georgia Southern University.

Nevertheless, sophomore sprinter Ashley McKiver said the focus and details start at practice for the Mountaineers.

“Were practicing hard, every little weak thing we may have, we are working on it in practice,” McKiver said.

McKiver said the women’s team is excited about the opportunity lying ahead and expects a solid outing by everyone this weekend.

“We want to sweep in the outdoor, so we are working hard and getting strong in several areas,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll come all together and have a solid weekend.”

However, Weaver pointed out this year’s competition has become a lot stronger.

“The whole conference is getting stronger,” he said. “It’s not just Western and us, Davidson has gotten better runners, Furman does too. There [are] a lot of different events that several schools have gotten strong in.”

With that said, Weaver believes if both teams enter the meet with the right state of mind, good things will happen.

“Our history told us, if we come with the right frame of mind and this means something to them, then that little extra 10 percent that will require them to move in a slot that has no one above them, that’s what they’ve have prepared for,” he said.