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10 I February 20, 2015 The Guilfordian WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM/SPORTS Track & field breaks records Guilford's track and field team competed at the JDL Fast Track Indoor Track & Field in Winston-Salem on Jan. 18 and 19. BY BANNING WATSON Staff Writer “You have to have a certain element of masochism to put yourself through a sport that is the punishment for all other sports,” said sophomore sprinter and middle- distance runner Molly Anne Marcotte. All sports are mentally and physically demanding, but track and field might be one of the least recognized and most physically demanding sports on campus, j, “We run 60 to 70 miles a week on a non-race week, we exercise three times a week and 1 run about 5 to 10 miles a day depending on the workout,” said senior distance runner Andris Goncarovs. It seems that all their hard work is paying off though, as the men’s and women’s track and field teams have been consistently breaking records. “I think the highlight of the season so far has been the performance of Alex Martin,” said Sports Information Director Dave Walters. “(Martin) was named conference indoor track runner of the week and now holds the school record in the long jump, along with top times in the 60 meter dash and the 100 meter dash. “These times are currently third fastest in the league.” The men’s relay team beat the previous 4x400 record set back in 2011 by approximately 2 minutes. For women’s track and field, Marcotte set the third fastest 5k time in school history in the Vince Brown Invitational on Feb. 8. They still have their eyes on the prize with national and conference championships on the horizon. “I really want to make nationals,” said first-year jumper and short-distance runner Alex Martin. “Nationals this year are in Winston, which is where I’m from. I’d love to go back there and just let the people back home know I’m doing well. “For the team, we really want the conference championship. In the past, we haven’t reached that rank, and we’re hungry for it.” The team only recently rejoined Guilford’s varsity roster after a 30-year hiatus. “We’re a developing team,” said Goncarovs. “There was a while at Guilford where we didn’t have a track and field program, and it only recently started back up. It’s hard to recruit a team when you have no tradition. ‘We’re starting to get some quality recruits in, which hasn’t been the case in previous seasons.” There are, of course, the physical challenges of competitive running as well. ‘When you’re in a race and you start to see people passing you, the biggest challenge is not giving up on yourself and remembering the capabilities of your body, even when it feels terrible,” said Marcotte. “You can get to a point after the race where you can’t feel your legs.” Finally, there is the challenge of making track and field a spectator sport at Guilford. “I ran track in middle school and high school, and I enjoyed it, but I see how from a spectator’s perspective it could be dull,” said Shelton Watspn, senior and football player. “It’s not fast-paced at all, and the meets can be as long as a day, but I do believe that if we had a track it would raise awareness of the sport, and it would get more people from the campus involved.” If you would like to show your support for the men’s and women’s track and field teams, their next indoor meet takes place on Feb. 21 at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Old Dominion Athletic Conference Indoor Championships begin on March 1 in handover, Maryland, and March 7 in Blacksburg, Virginia. Guilford football player’s brainchild helps develop potential college athletes BY MATTHEW JONES Staff Writer Coaches. Stats. Grades. Applications. High school athletes looking for an offer from a college have a lot on their minds. The recruitment process can confuse students, especially when they have no guide. That is where Guilford College senior and former Quakers running back Josh Wilhams comes in. His company, Janesh Sports, provides services to help develop high school athletes looking to play sports in college. “We are like a resource for all athletes who want to be on the next level,” said Williams. “We provide everything necessary.” Williams says the idea came to him as a sophomore when he briefly lost his spot on the football team, a spot that he worked hard to regain. He felt that when he lost his spot, he lost his focus in life. “I had to find something that I actually cared about,” Williams said. “So, I just sat down with myself and said ‘What do you care about?”’ Janesh, a Hindi name that means “leader of the people,” provides services targeted towards high school athletes such as athletic training and showcases. It also offers academic services like SAT prep and tutoring to help athletes succeed off the field. “Our number one market is the guys who don’t have the athletic ability to go to the next level,” said Williams. “It’s not a shoo-in for them.” Additionally, Williams plans on offering some free seminars for potential recruits featuring coaches and others from local colleges. “The recruiting process in high school is not so clear for rising first-year students in college,” said Faris El-Ali ’14, coordinator of the First Year Experience, student success mentor and former Guilford football player. “As a high school senior or even junior there aren’t a lot of people out there who are telling you what the recruiting process looks like, what you should expect, how you get a coach’s attention or how to move on to the next level. “There aren’t a lot of things like what Josh is doing with Janesh.” Janesh’s seminars and other services will also help demystify the admissions process, another critical piece of the recruitment puzzle. “Sometimes we don’t see the same thing that a coach sees,” said admissions counselor Grace Sullivan ’14. “We only see what they’re willing to give us, and they think that all of the power lies with the coach.” Much like the athletes, Janesh faces challenges going forward. As a relatively new company, it is still in the process of building a customer base, which can be tough in the world of athletics. “When (high school athletes) see the competition, the physical aspect, their confidence is high,” said El-Ali. “That’s what they know. But when they hear there is a professional development networking session, it’s a little intimidating.” But, Williams has the confidence and support of many people in the Guilford community. “Josh is a hardworking person,” said head football coach Chris Rusiewicz. “He’s done nothing but get better each semester.” Williams hopes that he can build on that support and all of the things he has learned at Guilford to make Janesh a success. “The things that we’ve all experienced are the things I will teach these kids,” said Williams. “The core values that I’ve learned at Guilford will be things that I teach kids.” Join Guilford’s Rugby Clubs Inviting students of all shapes and sizes to come join the pack! Practice Haworth Fields Monday Wednesday Friday 4-6 p.m. For more information, please contact: AC Canup canupap@guilford.edu Women's Rugby Club President Brandon Wagstaff wagstaff bt@g u i If ord .ed u Men's Rugby Club President
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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Feb. 20, 2015, edition 1
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