Truman moves to outdoor season

Few sports require their athletes to compete both indoors and outdoors. For Truman's men and women's track teams, however, the transition from fluorescent light to sunlight has arrived. Truman's outdoor season begins this weekend at the Northwest Missouri Invitational.

Head coach John Cochrane said the shift from indoors to outdoors requires several key adjustments.

"Going from a smaller indoor track to a bigger outdoor track makes the world different in tactics," Cochrane said. "If you're running a 200 [-meter dash] on a 200 track, it's physically difficult because of the tight turns. Outdoors you only have one turn, which is a bigger turn, and it makes the race different. [A bigger track] really makes the 400[-meter dash] a lot different because you get your own lane as opposed to indoors, and you can have a little more strategy as to what you want to do."

Junior distance runner Anne Ratermann agreed that the shift in track length also requires a different perspective.

"Indoor you can usually hear your split every 200 meters, but outdoors it's 400 meters," Ratermann said. "So you have to focus more on your pace, especially in the 800 [-meter dash] where if you're off by a second or two, that can make a big difference in your overall time."

Cochrane said another major difference for the outdoor season is the introduction of new events.

"You start to run the 10,000 [-meter run], which is quite a bit longer and you have to be prepping for a long time," Cochrane said."You also have the steeplechase, where you've got to do the horsepower work, but you also have to be able to hurdle."

The Bulldogs ended the indoor season with NCAA marks in five events from three different athletes.

Junior Jennifer Zweifel advanced to nationals with an automatic mark in the triple jump, where she finished sixth.

Another difference for the Bulldogs will be adapting to weather conditions, said senior long jumper Demetrius Lavant.

"You do have to accommodate for wind, so that's definitely different," Lavant said.     

Weather already has been an issue, as Truman did not attend its first scheduled outdoor meet of the season last weekend at Washington University in St. Louis due to inclement weather.

"We didn't go because it was snowing here and nobody could tell us what was happening there, which is highly unusual of us," Cochrane said. "I guess I've been in enough bad weather meets that I didn't want to start the season with one."

Cochrane said many track athletes have the potential to have successful outdoor seasons.

"Demetrius [Lavant] has a real opportunity," Cochrane said. "[Senior] Zach Chapman and [sophomore] Joey Walls are distance runners who have a great chance to do well. [Sophomore] Ryan Peterson got third in conference in the 600 [-meter dash] and he can be a decent 400 runner, and we're going to experiment with him in the 800. [Sophomores] Matt Kiblinger and Matt Wisniewski have the opportunity to be decent in the hammer."

Cochrane said the women have several long distance runners who could do well. Sophomores Karen and Cindy Grauel and Ratermann will lead the way for the Bulldogs in the distance events.