After ending the cross country season strong, with a first-place finish in both the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship and NCAA Metro Regional, the Rowan women’s indoor track and field team is hoping that they can carry that momentum into the winter season.  

However, Head Coach Shedrick Elliott III doesn’t want to push the players who are coming from the cross country team too hard, too early, after such a long season.

“For those who did cross country, we want them to get adequate mental and physical rest so they can prepare for another long season,” Elliott said. “It’s all about remaining consistent.”

With practices for the indoor season just beginning to ramp up, it’ll take some time before the coaches figure out where the athletes are performance-wise. The coaches already know what they have with the returning players, but can’t see what they have with some of the new players just yet due to the weather.

“The cold limits what we want to do, especially on the sprint side,” Elliott said. “We want to hone in on some acceleration mechanics and take advantage of them hitting their top speeds, but again the cold weather really limits that.”

The first meet will be crucial to the development of the season. Both the coaches and athletes want to use this meet as a “stepping stone” for the rest of the season, as it can help them identify what their strengths and weaknesses are early on.

 “Ideally we want to use the first meet as a starting point for the next couple of weeks,” Elliott said. “After the first meet, we can assess where everyone is and work on the things we need to work on after.”

Last year, the team finished second in the NJAC Championship and third in the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference (AARTFC). Given the success that the team had last year, accompanied by their success in the fall, it’s not hard to imagine that the excitement around the team is at an all-time high.

“I’m excited to see what we are going to do,” Lexi Bey said. “Everyone has shown a lot of potential and with each practice, we are unlocking more. It’s going to be cool to see what we can do without knowing what we can do yet.”

Not only is this Elliott’s first season with the indoor team, but they also got a new throws coach as well. Both of these new additions have Bey, who was here under the old regime, excited.

“I am excited for the new team that we are working with,” Bey said. “Coming in with a new head coach and throws coach I feel like the team has a lot of potential. I am excited to see what we are going to do.”

The indoor season will officially start on Friday, Dec. 6, at the Ocean Breeze Complex in Staten Island, New York. Then, the Profs will be back in action the day after, to compete in the TCNJ Open.

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