Eastern Nazarene College’s inaugural Track and Field season has officially started this March.
Brad Zarges, Director of Athletics, confirmed that the first meet is currently planned for March 25. The competitions will occur each weekend through the end of April, concluding with the Commonwealth Coast Conference Invitational at Roger Williams University. He also commented that the current plan is to compete in six track meets this spring.
There are a total of 20 student-athletes on the team, and there are more students who have expressed interest as well. Many of these student-athletes need clearances before joining the team, but there are other current athletes on other teams that plan to compete.
Many have wondered the reasoning behind the delay of the track team’s startup. The answer itself requires a lot of different parts to make it a whole. “One significant factor was the departure of Marion Mason from ENC,” explained Zarges. “His background as a former D1 athlete and several years as a part-time coach were expected to benefit us greatly,” but his move set the team back.
Zarges went on to say that he is excited about the functioning of the current staff, Kenton Holliday, Christina Saint-Pierre, and Brian Lawrence.
“Workouts are underway and new participants are being added on almost a daily basis. I also found it interesting to see several other schools that have established programs just convened their informational sessions this past week, so perhaps we are not as far behind as perceived,” said Zarges.
One of the plan Zarges has for this season is to set a strong foundation for the coming years. “As a first-year program, the goal is to establish some foundational operations and expectations. While I believe we will have a handful of very competitive performances, the initial aspiration is to lay the groundwork,” Zarges explains.
With a functioning staff ready to go and a team of student-athletes, the Track and Field team will be on their way to a great spring season.