By Michael Fiez, Sports Information Intern
(Blugolds.com) - When Carly Fehler (Sr. Oak Creek, Wis.) competed in the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field National Championships last season, she had a unique experience.
Sick with the flu, she was a bundle of nerves, but still ran well in competition. In fact, her nerves reached such an extreme that she had a slight wardrobe snafu.
"After finals, we got back to our hotel and my teammate graciously pointed out that my spandex were on backwards," Fehler remarked with a laugh. "I had ran two races, was up on the podium and walking around in front of everyone all day. I laugh now, but the level of nervous you have to be to put your pants on backwards without noticing is scary."
This year will be a different story, as the team travels to North Carolina to take on the best in the country on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14.
Fehler has already captured the school record in the 200-meter dash this season. It was a record she, herself, had set.
"The fact that it was my own school record is a reminder that track is very unique in the sense that it is never about who is lined up next to you," she said. "It is always you against yourself."
Lucy Ramquist (Sr. River Falls, Wis.), owner of two school records, agreed.
A mid-distance runner (800-meter, one mile, and occasional three-kilometer runs) for the first three years of her collegiate career, Ramquist made the move to long distance (mostly three-kilometer and five-kilometer runs) and promptly set a record in her old event, the mile. She followed that up by claiming a record in the 3-kilometer run as well.
But it was not her opponents she was racing against. Like Fehler, she was competing with herself.
"I have put an incredible amount of time, energy, and emotions into track, and to have achieved a school record is truly a display of everything that I have put into running," said Ramquist. "Setting these records have made me even more excited to try to run even faster and continue to push my limits."
On the men's side, Cody Prince (Sr. Appleton, Wis.) joined the record breaking, etching his name at the top of the Blugold historical record in the triple jump and the 400-meter dash.
Providing muscle in the field events, Roger Steen (Sr. Luck, Wis.) is first in the nation—third all-time—in shot put after breaking the school record and qualifying in the weight throw. After a third-place finish in the shot put in last year's national event, Steen has his eyes set on a greater prize.
"My expectations are to become a National Champion in shot put," Steen said. "I believe I can achieve better than last year because I have been training very well this season and have put my faith in the program that I have been training to have my body ready and I will be mentally ready for this meet."
These record-breaking Blugolds are only part of the team that will travel to the National Championship.
Sarah Glidden (So. Greenville, Wis.) qualified in the high jump, and the women's 4x400-meter relay team of Brooke Patterson (Sr. Sussex, Wis.), Steph Rouse (Sr. Minnetonka, Minn.), Jess Rupnow (Jr. Sussex, Wis,), and Jessie Reineck (So. Greenville, Wis.) will also be making the trip with high expectations.
Thurgood Dennis (Sr. Allouez, Wis.) sits atop the nation in 60-meter dash, while also participating in the 4x400-meter relay team with Jimmy Paske (So. Minnetonka, Minn.), William LaJeunesse (Jr. Belle Plaine, Minn.), and Prince that is third in the nation in the event.
Brandon Zarnoth (Sr. Appleton, Wis.), a fellow Appleton North alum, is currently second in the heptathlon, while Josh Thorson (So. Wayzata, Minn.) is third in the nation in the three-kilometer run.
Thorson will join Adam Moline (Jr. Wayzata, Minn.), Kevin Brooks (Jr. Roseville, Minn.), and Ryan Graham (So. Maple Grove, Minn.) for the distance medley relay, a race Thorson says may be his favorite because of the teamwork and camaraderie.
For these Blugolds, it is not speed or strength that matter most. It is not the records they break that make them special. There is much more to it.
"Practice, for the majority of our student-athletes, is by far their favorite part of the day," said assistant coach Dan Schwamberger. "It is very rewarding to be a part of a group that is so driven and truly enjoys the day-to-day process of self-improvement."
Head Coach Chip Schneider echoed a similar appreciation for his team's dedication, summing up why they have achieved so much.
"Any time you have athletes with this much talent who also understand how to work hard and are smart, good things are bound to happen," he said.
There will be no special preparation, no resting on their laurels. Every student-athlete, every coach emphasized the same thing: keeping their head down and continuing to grind. They will simply control what they can control, and compete against themselves.
"At nationals, everyone is fast," said Fehler. "Forget about rankings and all of that; everyone has the ability to perform great and win. That's why they run races. But I can only control what I do. I am simply going to run as fast as I can, and hopefully that's faster than anyone else."
