My Championship Experience is a diary blog written by Summit League student-athletes
detailing their experiences at each of the 19 Championships.
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South Dakota senior Jeff Mettler writes about his
experience at the 2014 Summit League Indoor Track and Field Championships:
Wednesday, Feb. 26:
The trip to Fort Wayne began not so bright and early at
6:00 a.m. Riding a bus across three states may sound horrible to most people,
but after the nightmare that was our flying experience this fall on the way to
Fort Wayne for The Summit League Cross Country meet, I was okay with it. One
broken bus window and several stops later, we arrived at our hotel in Fort
Wayne at 11:00 p.m., slightly exhausted but no worse for the wear.
Thursday, Feb. 27:
The day before the meet starts is always tough for me.
Too nervous to concentrate on homework, I spent the morning trying to find
anything to distract me, with minimal success. Needless to say, our pre-meet
workout in the afternoon came as a huge relief. After arriving at the track,
the distance team did a short shakeup outside. Following the directions of the
extremely helpful IPFW coach, we found a great trail that ran around the
campus. We then did some strides to get our fast-twitch muscles firing and get
accustomed to the track. The other training groups did their own pre-meet
rituals, and we all headed back to the hotel for dinner. Later that night, the
men’s team met to discuss the upcoming meet. After explaining various
logistical details of the meet, such as bus shuttles and event times, we went
around the room and each expressed our personal goals for the weekend. I really
like this tradition. Throughout the season, the different training groups kind
of do their own thing for the most part, but the conference meet is different. As
individually-focused as track & field can sometimes be, I think it speaks
volumes how much everyone on our team loves coming together at the conference
meet. Hearing everyone vocalize their goals for the weekend is a great way to
touch base with all the groups, and for me it is when the conference weekend
really starts. Typically during these things I keep it simple, and this time
was no different. I expressed my desire to finish where I came in ranked. That
will be a challenge, as I came in ranked first in the 3k, mile, and 5k. It is a
triple I have done several times, and it is never easy. Overall, the attitude
of the team was excited. We knew it is going to be a battle with NDSU, and we
had a few athletes who were battling through some adversity, but never before
has the team been so collectively focused.
Friday, Feb. 28:
Since I did not run the 3k until 6:20 p.m., I got to sit
around watching the live results on my computer. When I finally got to compete,
a huge weight lifted off my chest as I was able to repeat as the league champion
in the 3k. Of course, that feeling lasted maybe 15 minutes, as it soon dawned
on me that the hardest was yet to come. However, the race could not have gone
much better for me and my legs still felt relatively fresh, and for that, I was
very happy. After cooling down and going back to the hotel to shower and eat,
we again met as a team. The day had gone well; we had managed to score 68
points. However, NDSU was right there with us at 65, just like we knew they
would be. We covered the events of the day, highlighted by some phenomenal
performances by our weight thrower, Denton Stephens, and the anchor of our DMR,
Stephen Nielson. Both stepped up huge, which is so exciting when it happens at
the league meet and is really inspiring to the rest of the team. Then, the
floor was given over to the captains, and as one of the captains, I was asked
to say a little something. After describing the feeling that came from
finishing just one point shy of the league championship this fall at The Summit
League Cross Country meet, I asked that each person do everything in their
power to keep that from happening again. It was not a feeling I wanted to
experience again. After all, it would be a VERY long bus ride back if we came
up short. After hearing all the captains and coaches speak, I could just tell
that the team was ready to go the next day.
Saturday, March 1:
After a restless night of sleep, I was not feeling quite
as fresh as I would have liked. Since the mile was the first running event of
the meet, I put pressure on myself to get the ball rolling. It doesn’t matter
how well you do on the first day if you can’t carry that momentum into the next
day. Fortunately, our heptathlete, Josh Peterson, did just that. Going in, we
knew that NDSU would be dominant in the heptathlon. Realistically speaking,
they still were, but Josh placing third was huge and got us started out on the
right foot. I was able to come away with the win in the mile, and after that,
things just started to roll for us. Unfortunately, the 5k was where my perfect
weekend came to an end. While it did not go as well as I would have liked, I
still managed a fifth-place finish, officially ending my final indoor Summit
League meet. It was probably the sentimentality that comes with being a senior,
but seeing all the athletes of each team line the track during the 4x400m and
watching my teammates cheer for the Coyotes when we won the relay made me just
a tad emotional. I may have even teared up a little bit if I’m going to be
honest. Conference meets make up some of my favorite memories of being a Coyote
athlete, and this weekend was no different. I was even lucky enough to be
awarded The Summit League Championship Track MVP, which was a fantastic way to
end the weekend. It is very humbling for me to have been given this award two
years in a row. There are so many amazing athletes in The Summit League that
competed this weekend, and I can’t believe I was fortunate enough to be
selected again.
I want to thank The Summit League and IPFW for putting on
a fantastic league meet. I don’t know that I have ever had a negative thing to
say about any of my conference experiences. Being in The Summit League has
definitely elevated my performance; competing against some of the best athletes
in the nation will do that. I am proud to be a part of it. Finally, I just want
to thank my coaches and teammates for giving me such a great experience as a
Coyote. The memories I have made these last four years will stay with me
forever as some of the greatest times of my life. I am so excited to see what
happens in May at the outdoor league championship.
- Jeff Mettler
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Don’t forget to check out the next
edition of My Championship Experience as it follows the Men’s and
Women’s Basketball Championships, March 8-11 and throughout the 2013-14 season
for coverage at each of The Summit League Championships.
