Women's 4x400 Squad Has High Hopes for Postseason
4/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
By Cherylann DeVito
The women of the
After an impressive 2007 outdoor season, the women’s 4x400 relay team placed fifth at the NCAA Regionals meet. Despite the success, the team felt like injuries held them back from accomplishing even bigger things.
“Last year really opened doors for us,” explained Brathwaite. “It made us realize where we’re at and where we want to be. It was kind of a trial and error period, but we’ve come a long way since then.”
The squad quickly saw success by qualifying for the NCAA Regionals with a time of 3:41.40 at the Colonial Relays in just the second outdoor meet of the season.
Hayes was confident that the team would hit the Regional time, but admitted she was relieved they qualified early in the season. “The earlier the better,” said Hayes. “After the race, we didn’t feel like we ran fast. We knew we could run even faster.”
They followed that performance by shaving an additional seven seconds off of that time at the Sea Ray Relays (3:34.44), which was the fifth fastest time in the nation.
“We’re an underdog and no one expected us to run that fast,” said Hayes. “It was an eye-opener, and it let other teams know we are hungry.”
The women believe that an intense spring break training program has been a key factor to much of their success. “Our group was running a lot longer and for a longer period of time,” said Hayes. “It made us stronger and able to bounce back quickly.”
“Spring break really tested our speed, strength, and stamina,” added Brathwaite.
Friday noted that a new weight program has also benefited the team. “The weight program has helped me a lot, it made me so much stronger” explained Friday.
The women, who are all very different outside the track, reflect on how their differences are one aspect in what make them so successful.
“I tend to get pretty nervous before the race,” said Brathwaite. “Alex is usually the one that calms me down, she’s probably the most level headed out of all of us. She gets us in the zone.”
“I just want to get out on the track and run as fast as I can,” Hayes said. “That’s how I go into each race. I’m confident that my team won’t make me do something I’m not capable of doing.”
Surprisingly, the women do not practice together, but their equal levels of skill help them gel perfectly. “I feel as though the order we run in is the key to our success,” explained the anchor-runner Hayes. “The three runners ahead of me have never put me in a situation I couldn’t handle.”
With the track and field team’s championship season beginning, the women are well equipped to face any opponent inside and outside of the BIG EAST Conference.
The team is looking forward to defending its BIG EAST title, but they are all hoping for much more. “Winning the BIG EAST is a stepping stone for us,” said Brathwaite. “But it’s not the end. We have our sights set on doing very well at the NCAA Nationals.”
