If the runners have anything to say about it, one Big Ten championship isn't enough for the women's track and field team.
Fresh off their first-ever cross country Big Ten championship this fall, distance runners are already looking toward the finish line for the indoor track season.
"Right now, we're talking Big Ten champions. That's all," freshman runner Nicole Lord said. "The distance part of the program is getting really good, we just won the Big Tens and got to the national championships. So I think we can do some damage again at the Big Tens."
The "distance contingency," as coach Beth Alford-Sullivan calls the group, is returning at full strength, including re-elected captain Bridget Franek and the freshmen tandem featuring Lord, Brooklyne Ridder and Natalie Bower.
Although distance events now represent a smaller portion of the team -- only four events out of 18 total -- cross country captain Cheryl Spring expects that this fall's performance by the distance crew will continue to drive the entire team toward a second Big Ten title this season.
And even though the runners are through only one season so far this year, the Big Ten triple crown -- cross country, indoor track and outdoor track -- is on everybody's mind.
"I think the cross country season really gave the rest of the track team a lot of enthusiasm, and it has really pumped everybody up to go for the triple crown," Spring said. "I think [the triple crown] is in everyone's mind. We definitely want that indoor Big Ten championship, and we're defending outdoor champions so it's definitely something we're going for."
Lord agrees that although distance is not the entire sport now, the contribution from the distance runners will not go overlooked.
"Every point counts," Lord said. "Last year we went out and won the Big Tens by like half of a point. So every little thing counts and our races still help out the team a lot."
Alford-Sullivan too is looking to place well at the Big Tens, and she is looking for strong contributions from the distance team, especially the freshmen that helped lead the cross country team to the Big Ten title.
"Ladies-wise, we have a slew of great freshmen and we're going to see them blossom into great track athletes," Alford-Sullivan said. "We're going to see quite a bit coming from our youth."
Even though distance runners are usually limited to one or two events at each given meet, Spring said the success of the team in the fall continues to motivate the entire team during the winter.
"Just knowing that the distance team will be doing their part and helping out their team really motivates everybody else," Spring said.
