Beloit College track and field team riding strong into Beloit Relays

BELOIT—The Beloit Relays, hosted at the Strong Stadium Complex, is always a special event for the Buccaneers’ track and field team.

As the only meet of the season held at Beloit College, it is one last chance for the senior class to perform on their home course and an opportunity for all involved to show off in front of a home audience. The event kicks off on Saturday at 11 a.m.

“We’ve got about 10 teams coming in,” Beloit track and field head coach Brian Bliese said. “The competition is going to be great. It's going to be good in all of the events, but especially in the throws. We've got defending national champions and defending All-Americans that are going to be here both on the men's and women's side. The weather looks great, and it's a great tribute to our seniors to let them showcase their talents.”

The excitement is practically doubled this season with several of the Bucs’ athletes coming off of strong performances at the Private College Championships hosted in Waukesha this past weekend.

“We performed really well considering the last meet we had was February 24th, which was our indoor conference meet,” Bliese said. “We've been off for five weeks. And in the two weeks prior to our meet last weekend, we had this nasty weather, so our training was not the way I'd like it to be. And so for the results that we had, both on the track with our hurdlers, with our throwers, with our jumpers, I was ecstatic.”

The men’s team placed fifth out of 13 teams while the women came in seventh. Several athletes recorded the top time or distance in the conference.

Caden Anderson is one of those top performers, and he was honored by the Midwest Conference this week for his first-place throw in Waukesha of 49.71 meters. That distance is the best in the conference this season.

“Caden is a basketball player who started doing outdoor track last year for the first time, and he picked up the jab and started figuring it out,” Bliese said. “He did well at the conference meet, and now here we are in our first outdoor meet, and he bombs it.”

Senior Alexandre Atou is also looking to build off a strong performance from the Private College Championships. He finished the 400-meter finals in 11.16 seconds, earning him the top time in the MWC.

“He also is one of our main cogs in the 4x400 (relay), and that's got the best time in the conference,” Bliese added.

Other runners on that relay, which finished in 3:23.49, include Daniel DeGeorge, Izzy Zwedie and Nate Otis, who was also second in the 400 hurdles (56.31) and got the top spot in the MWC by over a second.

Bliese said he was also excited about Josh Yearby, who took fourth in the 200 (22.60) and ran a leg of third-place 4x100 (43.02) with Ayouba Sumoaro, DeGeorge and Otis.

Diontia Charles is continuing a stellar collegiate career in his fifth season. He placed first in the high jump (1.90).

“He is the top high jumper in the conference, and we're seeded one, two, three, four in the conference with Nate Otis, Charles, Kevon Mills and Michael Myles,” Bliese said. “It's crazy. We don't even really have a place to practice indoors, yet here we are.”

Bliese credited Beloit Memorial graduate Joshua Martinez Marte, who was sixth in the shot put (13.29), with showing tremendous improvement.

“That transition from high school to college for a thrower, it's not only a heavier shot but a heavier discus. And then learning the javelin and the hammer.There's not just a physical transition but a mental transition. And he's really acclimating himself to all of the throws.”

On the women’s side, it all starts with stellar sprinter Candis Damste. She dominated the indoor track season and got the outdoor season started with a first in the 200 (25.76). She also ran a leg of the first-place 4x400 with Sophia Miller, Jaeonie Echols and Alayna Furch with a time of 4:07.98, giving them the top time in the MWC by almost six seconds.

“Candis is killing it,” Bliese said. “She was in the shadows last year behind two seniors, who were two of the top sprinters in the conference, and this year she's really taken ownership. She's cutting her times and was just a beast in the indoor. She ran her all-time PR in the open 200 last week and she's got ambitions to get to the big dance, the outdoor nationals.”

Two Clinton graduates are hoping to shine in the field events with Elizabeth Kalk and Hannah Welte both looking to make big impacts for their last go-around at their home stadium.

Kalk, who was seventh in the high jump at 1.50 meters, is an athlete Bliese is just waiting on to show out.

“Liz is waiting just to pop,” he said. “She's a great jumper, and she's seeded number two or three in the conference right now. She won it two years ago, took second last year, and was second indoor this year. Her goal is to be the outdoor conference champ. She's also throwing the javelin just because she's bored with just one event.”

Welte took a fall during the 100 hurdles last weekend and wasn’t able to compete in the 400 or the 4x400.

“She's a two-time defending conference champion, and we're hoping she's going to be healed up and ready to go this week,” Bliese said.

Bliese said that the women’s team should really be coming around as they go deeper into the season.

“Darcel Royster is a sprinter who is doing some great things. She was on our indoor 4x200 relay team. Indoor and should be on our 4x100 relay team outdoor. Maddie Meason is a girl from Hononegah who is running great. We've got a plethora of middle distance runners that are doing great things: Marianna Carus, Carter Brown, Josie Czuj. Coach Ellie (Waddle) works with all of our distance kids, and she does a great job with them. We're just waiting to see their times melt.

And the women’s field events are shaping up to hold some great results as well.

“We've got a set of twins, Naomee and Niomee Casey who are both doing good things,” Bliese said. “One's a pole vaulter and one's a hurdler. Our women's throwers are starting to really step up. The top thrower right now is Hadja Bayo, who is also a basketball player. All of these two sport athletes, it's great to have them. They're a little behind coming off of basketball, but they're picking up.

Bliese said that he just asks to get two things out of his team this weekend.

“Attitude and effort,” he said. “If they give me those two things, we'll be pleased with their results. The biggest thing about track is you have to have controlled fury. If you try to run fast, you don't. If you try to throw fast, you don't. You have to be disciplined, fierce and aggressive, but you have to be controlled and within yourself."