It is a sprint not a marathon for the SWC track coach Tonie Campbell and this year's squad led by a talented group of athletes who like to wrap up their events in a hurry.
Campbell, an Olympic medalist, has built a foundation based on speed, conditioning and speed. Did he mention speed? His flying females have won the Pacific Coast Conference title three years in a row. Campbell said he has high expectations for the upcoming season.
"Each year I expect my girls to do better than the previous team," he said. Campbell's new goal-a championship on both sides. SWC's men have become contenders thanks in part to the fleet feet of sophomore speedster Elliot Taylor. Freshman Karla Serrato leads the women sprinters.
Freshmen distance runners Dahir Muhammed and Tanya Venezuela have stood out early in the season and other athletes on the team have been making strides in practice.
"We're still in a building process," said Campbell.
As the season progresses and Campbell's athletes begin to see more of their competition, he said he plans on focusing on each individual's specialty events.
In a sport as intense as track and field, Campbell said his focus is on recovery. A runner's endurance depends on their muscles being rested enough to compete at that level.
This season the team is composed of nine freshman and four sophomores on the women's squad, and18 freshman and eight sophomores on the men's squad.
Campbell said his decision to add a large number of freshmen was, "due to the cutbacks here at Southwestern and across the state, have been severe and damaging to all athletics in general."
Like academics, athletics have taken a fiscal hit, Campbell said, but he said his team cannot use that as an excuse.
"We're making the best of the situation."
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!