With the GLIAC Championships looming on the horizon, the Ferris State track and field team is continuing their preparation for the big weekend.
The Bulldogs are headed to Tiffin, Ohio this weekend, Feb. 27-28, to take on the other teams of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). With six non-scoring events under their belts this indoor season, the Dawgs are well tuned for the coming events. Junior distance runner Jessica Delaney expressed the excitement the team has when it comes to putting their hard work to action.
“I think we are mostly excited to see all of the work we have put in this season come together,” Delaney said. “We are one of the only schools in the conference to run every run outside, so it is always nice to see the cold and icy days paying off when we get on a track.”
Some of the Dawgs’ more outstanding performers so far this season include senior Damonta Madden who took care of the competition at the Grand Valley Tune-Up meet when he won the men’s 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash with times of 6.95 and 21.80 respectively. Another dependable standout for the Dawgs is junior Logan Hammer, who summed up the team’s goal.
“Most of all, the team is ready to run fast and run well,” Hammer said. “We have put the work in all season and we are ready to put all the pieces together.”
The standout athletes at the Grand Valley meet for the women were junior Racheal McDonald who placed second in the women’s 5,000-meter dash with a time of 18:36.78 and Delaney who placed second in the women’s 3,000-meter dash with a time of 10:29.45.
Sophomore Ross Miller has been a reliable thrower for the Dawgs so far this season. Miller grabbed fourth in the shot put (47-9) at the GVSU meet and was followed by fellow Dawg junior Hayden Francisco who placed eighth (45-10).
Senior Rachel Long has been the consistent thrower for the women and she took eighth in the weight throw at the event with a toss of 50-10.25.
“Last weekend was rough for a lot of people on the team,” Delaney said. “We are looking at the GLIAC meet as a way to bounce back and show the other teams what we are capable of.”
The men’s and women’s GLIAC leaderboards are all set at zero, making this weekend’s events any team’s for the taking. The competition will begin Saturday, Feb. 27 in Ohio at Tiffin’s indoor facilities and continue until a winning school is crowned on Sunday, Feb. 28.