Christian Lynch, management junior, was all smiles after he posted a personal best of 6.98 seconds in the 60 meter dash last year.
“Looking at the big screen after my race and seeing my time, I couldn’t help but walk away with a smile on face,” Lynch said.
The track and field team is looking to build on its success from last year as it prepares for the Tiger Invite which takes place on Feb. 7.
The team can potentially receive an invitation to the NAIA National Championship which is ultimately determined on how well the team performs at the Tiger Invite.
Judith Billizone, track and field assistant coach, is content with the team’s performance thus far and is optimistic about the team’s expectations for the rest of the season.
“We are doing well collectively as a team. We have been reaching a lot of personal records at the two meets that we have been to thus far. In fact, the majority are looking to qualify for nationals and/or place top three in the conference at our conference championship,” Billizone said.
Billizone said that many of the athletes on this year’s team are capable of breaking current school records. Of those athletes, Billzone said Christian Lynch was one in particular.
“He has already done exceptionally well at the first meet by placing top 10 in the 60 meter dash with a time of 6.98,” Billizone said.
Lynch established six new Loyola records last year during his sophomore season. Lynch was named to the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) All-Conference team last season as well.
Lynch said he is happy with the team’s start to the new season and is excited to continue the excellence so far.
“We had a good start. A lot of freshmen have never run indoor before but they really stepped up and we have been delivering great results,” Lynch said.
Now that the team has had two indoor meets, Lynch said that the team knows how all the new athletes compete.
“We work on our weaknesses to turn them into strengths. We all know what we need to work on and we focus on that,” Lynch said.
The team is currently preparing for the pivotal meet at the Tiger Invite and Billizone said that they are preparing with proper physical and mental preparation. Part of this preparation includes posting goals on Billizone’s office door.
“By doing this, we are able to strive for progression as we set out to accomplish the daily goals written on the door,” Billizone said.
Lynch said he believes that the team has a legitimate shot at making it to the NAIA National Championship.
“We have a number of returners who were close to qualifying for nationals last year so after a whole year of continued training we have a great shot this year,” Lynch said.
