Without the benefit of a conference, the Wolfpack track team dares to challenge the realm of Division I teams in their meets this season.

An experience-laden squad starring history senior Richard Bouckaert and finance senior Matt Cagigal feels that not only are they ready for the challenge, but they are ready to succeed. Cagigal knows that he is capable of success.

“There is no Gulf Coast Athletic Conference track, so we’re always facing … big schools, and I won both races I was in last year, and Rich came in second.”

Such is the life of the two, who ran cross country in the fall semester, gaining a trip to the national cross country championships in Louisville, Ky. The biggest adjustment from the cross country season to the track season is the number of miles run during training, Bouckaert explains.

“During a cross country season, we would usually run around 65 to 70 miles a week, whereas now we’ll run about 45 to 50 miles. We also run a lot more on the track, running some 400 (meters) and 800s.”

A sample workout is running 10 400-meter splits with a minute rest in between. This is not a walk in the park by all means, but workouts like this lead to their driving passion to succeed, especially when competing at meets that include some of the finest athletes in the country.

“These meets definitely pump you up to compete against that caliber of athletes even though you know you may not win, but you know they’re going to pull you to a better time,” Bouckaert said.

The schedule this year has the track team competing in three meets at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, LSU and the University of South Alabama in Mobile.

In addition, they participate in some citywide long-distance competitions throughout the season. One was the Mardi Gras half-marathon, where Cagigal finished third and Bouckaert fourth. Cagigal thinks experiences like this will help build momentum for the actual meets, especially when they can compete against others in the city.

“It’s pretty fun going to the front of the line. They’ve all trained but not like us. Lots of Loyola and Tulane cross country alums were in the Mardi Gras meet and it was pretty cool to say I was third in the city,” he said.

But for the duo, in their senior year, the track season signals the end. There is much more at stake for these record setters than you would imagine, said Bouckaert.

“You know you can run road races, run for your company in the future, possibly make some money, but it’s nothing like the team atmosphere at the national tournament.”

Bouckaert has a lot going at stake, hoping he can improve on his Loyola school record in the 1500-meter race. Cagigal will miss his experience at Loyola but shares the same feeling with Bouckaert, because there is a lot to run for.

“It’s a shame we don’t have a cross-country season to train for in the fall again, but when you are representing your school when it’s on the line in competition, its more than just pride. It’s my last chance to do my best and run for Loyola,” he said.

Harold Kuntz can be reached at [email protected].