Lyndsay Krisel
Equinox Staff
In the upcoming winter season for Keene State College’s Track and Field team, expectations are at an all-time high for this talented group of LEC winners. Based on the team’s successes over the past few years, goals continue to rise and exceptional athletes who have gone above and beyond maximum capabilities continue to challenge themselves during their season, and in the off-seasons.
Glenn Guilmette, a senior jsvelin thrower at KSC, said he is very excited for the new season, and hopes to carry out his own goals and surpass his accomplishments from last year. He feels well prepared, and ready to take on his competitors. “My main goal for this year is to go out and have a consistent mark from what I threw last year, because it was a really good mark, and so I’d love to be able to throw 217 consistently, but at the same time I want to hit 70 meters, which is 230,” Guilmette said. Last season, Guilmette ranked fourth place in Division III Nationals in Los Angeles, by throwing a total of 217 feet, exceeding his best mark of the year at 206 feet. This year, he is fully confident that he will at least be able to maintain that mark. Guilmette also mentioned that it is important to train hard in the off-season in preparation, and that he has specific lifting programs that he consistently follows. “I maintain a lot of weird technique stuff, and a lot of unusual training, but it all helps for the javelin, because the javelin is not the average sport, so you can’t do the average training,” Guilmette said.
John Napolitano, the throwing coach for the men’s team, wholeheartedly agreed with Guilmette’s overall success and explained that he is one of the best throwers that he has, and is successful each year because he trains hard and well during the off-season. “One thing that [Guilmette] is very good at is training. He is probably the best off-season trainer that I’ve ever worked with; he really gets after it in the weight room, and whatever I tell him to do, he does it and I think that is why he’s been so successful. The kid trains like an animal,” Napolitano said.
Overall, Napolitano said he is also quite confident that his athletes have what it takes to meet their goals this season, especially after having sent three athletes to the New England Championships last year. “I really think that we have the talent to double that this year, I’d like to send at least six to Nationals, and I think we have a strong enough team to do that, and that would be the most throwers we’ve ever sent to a meet at that level,” he said.
Pete Thomas, indoor track head coach, said he is greatly looking forward to his season as well, with some good returning athletes and some fresh new faces to add to the mix. “Track is like a three-ring circus,” he explained. “We have some good jumpers, some good throwers, some good middle distance people, so overall it will be a fun season,” Thomas said. The only aspect Thomas sees an issue with during his season is due to his lack of sprinters. “We have the potential to be good for women’s jumping with a little more effort, but we will definitely lack in our sprinting area,” Thomas continued. He elaborated that track consists of some very long days, but exciting ones.
The winter track and field season is set to have its first meet on Dec. 1.
Lindsay Krisel can be contacted
at lkrisel@keene-equinox.com