Following over a quarter of preparation, the Stanford track and field team finds itself facing the first meet of year, as well as the first meet of the indoor season. As they head to Seattle for the University of Washington Indoor Preview, the Cardinal men and women will immediately be thrust into tough competition. The team is prepared to start the season with strong runs and personal bests.

With a recruiting class of over thirty, the Cardinal faces the exciting prospect of new talent that could both surprise and overwhelm opponents. This depth will prove particularly useful in the distance events, which require mental strength in addition to physical prowess. The Stanford runners should be able to utilize their large numbers to create a strong running pack that will overpower the competition.

The freshmen will play a key role in maximizing the team’s scoring and in increasing the team’s potential to win a championship title.

“The freshmen this year are just great,” said junior Maddie Duhon. “There’s a huge amount of enthusiasm and talent in this class across all event groups, so it will be exciting to see how they contribute to the team’s success this year and beyond.”

Indeed, a strong recruiting class such as this one not only indicates a favorable season, but also promises a bright future for the program.

“The attitude that the freshman adopt will affect the program for years to come,” agreed sophomore Chris Derrick. “If, as a collective group, they dedicate themselves to Stanford track and field, we could see some really great results in the years to come; the first few weeks leave me optimistic that that will happen.”

With such a large class size, the coaching staff must make sure to channel the talent in the proper direction, so that the sheer number of runners does not become overwhelming. The advantage of such a wide selection pool, however, is that the Cardinal can now be represented in events that previously went neglected, bringing more potential points to the team. Men’s high jump, for example, has frequently gone without Stanford participation, but freshman Jules Sharpe now seems to be a promising talent in the event.

Other freshmen that will make their mark on the men’s side will be Spencer Chase in sprints and Tyler Stutzman and Andrew Berberick in distance.

As the freshmen look forward to competing for Stanford for the first time this weekend, they hope for a memorable experience that will give them an introduction to the collegiate level of competition.

“This weekend will be a good chance for us to get reacquainted with indoor track,” said senior Kate Niehaus. “I am especially excited for these freshmen who haven’t raced yet in the Stanford uniform; doing that for the first time is such a thrill!”

The indoor season presents itself as the first competitive arena for most collegiate track teams, just a few months before the much-anticipated outdoor season. But indoor races are not just a warm-up – the competition remains just as stiff, giving the athletes a chance to establish themselves in the track and field community.

“Although indoor is sometimes considered as just a stepping stone for outdoor track, no one really holds back when it comes to race day,” Duhon confirmed. “We still compete against many of the same athletes and our goals are the same: to be our best and win.”

Indeed, both the men’s and women’s teams hold season goals of victory in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and qualification of as many athletes as possible for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

So does a day in the life of one of these track and field athletes really look like? In addition to the incessantly stressful academic life of The Farm, these student-athletes also spend hours practicing and traveling, especially during the indoor season when all meets take place in other locations.

“Life as a student-athlete is almost always busy,” Niehaus agreed, “but I really love running, the team and competing – I could imagine my time in college no other way!”

Indeed, the joy of being a part of the team, as well as the pride of running for Stanford, keeps these athletes motivated and focused.

“Running for Stanford is something that I take pride in,” Derrick affirmed. “At the end of the day I enjoy both the end result of athletic success as well as the process of working toward it – rewards are more fulfilling when they are earned through hard work – and in that sense, there is nothing more rewarding for me than track and field.”