2008 Woodie Awards
Men distance runners recuperate; Hawk sprinters head to the races
Clif Duquette '08
Issue date: 12/1/06 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
On Friday the Hawks' men's track & field team will start their 2006-2007 season when they fly to Lafayette College to participate in the Lafayette Invitational.
St. Joe's will not be showing their full Crimson & Gray colors, however. They will be without the distance squad because the cross country team just ended their season last week at the IC4A Championships in New York City. They have yet to practice as a team, so they will refrain from competing in the meet.
The sprinters, on the other hand, have been practicing for awhile, and will have an opportunity to see where they are in the first meet of the season.
Because of the distance runners' absence, the sprinters will make up nearly the entire roster for this meet.
"This meet really gives the sprinters a chance to compete," said senior Joe Witiw, who will be running the 500. "We've been practicing all this time so we're anxious to see what we can do. All we're looking to do is run hard and see where we're at."
Practicing is not the only thing the sprinters have done so far this season, though. Saint Joseph's alum Vince Papale, who once ran track for St. Joe's and was the inspiration for Walt Disney's Invincible, recently spoke to the St. Joe's track team. He emphasized how the athletes were pursuing dreams similar to his.
"What really stuck out to us was that his movie wasn't as much about him as it was about others who pursue their own dreams," said Witiw. "He told examples of people like us doing it everyday, and we learned that if we go after them as a team, we can achieve a lot."
A lot is what St. Joe's hopes to accomplish this season. As always, they look to finish as high as they can in Atlantic 10 Conference, while they also hope to qualify as many as they can for the IC4A Championships at the end of the season.
To do that, they will need some big performances in the big meets.
"In order to do what we want to do, we'll need all our guys to score as many points as possible in the big meets," said Witiw.
This meet at Lafayette will hopefully be the start of exactly that. While not yet officially announced as of Tuesday night, the lineup will figure to have at least a few athletes in their comfortable roles.
In a field that will feature numerous Pennsylvania state schools, junior Bobby Staten is expected to contribute in the dashes, while senior Mike Tatara will probably join Witiw in the 500.
In the 800, senior Christopher Kessler and freshman Brian Doherty figure to pose a presence for the Hawks.
St. Joe's will not be showing their full Crimson & Gray colors, however. They will be without the distance squad because the cross country team just ended their season last week at the IC4A Championships in New York City. They have yet to practice as a team, so they will refrain from competing in the meet.
The sprinters, on the other hand, have been practicing for awhile, and will have an opportunity to see where they are in the first meet of the season.
Because of the distance runners' absence, the sprinters will make up nearly the entire roster for this meet.
"This meet really gives the sprinters a chance to compete," said senior Joe Witiw, who will be running the 500. "We've been practicing all this time so we're anxious to see what we can do. All we're looking to do is run hard and see where we're at."
Practicing is not the only thing the sprinters have done so far this season, though. Saint Joseph's alum Vince Papale, who once ran track for St. Joe's and was the inspiration for Walt Disney's Invincible, recently spoke to the St. Joe's track team. He emphasized how the athletes were pursuing dreams similar to his.
"What really stuck out to us was that his movie wasn't as much about him as it was about others who pursue their own dreams," said Witiw. "He told examples of people like us doing it everyday, and we learned that if we go after them as a team, we can achieve a lot."
A lot is what St. Joe's hopes to accomplish this season. As always, they look to finish as high as they can in Atlantic 10 Conference, while they also hope to qualify as many as they can for the IC4A Championships at the end of the season.
To do that, they will need some big performances in the big meets.
"In order to do what we want to do, we'll need all our guys to score as many points as possible in the big meets," said Witiw.
This meet at Lafayette will hopefully be the start of exactly that. While not yet officially announced as of Tuesday night, the lineup will figure to have at least a few athletes in their comfortable roles.
In a field that will feature numerous Pennsylvania state schools, junior Bobby Staten is expected to contribute in the dashes, while senior Mike Tatara will probably join Witiw in the 500.
In the 800, senior Christopher Kessler and freshman Brian Doherty figure to pose a presence for the Hawks.
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