Mesa Community College track and field prepares for the NJCAA National Indoor meet
The Mesa Community College track and field team will compete in the 2023 NJCAA Indoor National meet on March 3-4 in Topeka, KS.
There are 34 Thunderbirds who have qualified for the national meet in their respective events, 21 men and 13 women.
At the national meet last season, the men’s team took 14th place while the women captured 16th.
From an individual standpoint, multiple MCC athletes won All-American honors at the meet for different events including the 4×800 meter relay, 400 and 600 meter dash, as well as pole vaulting.
Among the 21 men who will make the trip to Topeka is Theodore “Teddy” Gosselin.
Gosselin will compete in the heptathlon, which is a seven event contest that consists of: 60 meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 60 meter hurdles, pole vault, and 1000 meter run.
Last year, Gosselin finished 12th among the field and missed 11th place by just 100 points. Scoring in heptathlons is based on how well one does per event. You get a certain set amount of points based on capturing a certain time or distance.
Competing on a national stage is something that Gosselin has been looking forward to all season long. For him, competing at local meets does not bring out the same intensity as a national meet does with all of the competition he faces.
“For nationals there’s a different fire that comes out…at these local meets I don’t have that same intensity as I do when I went to a national meet, it just brings something out in you,” said Gosselin.
Gosselin’s best event last year was the 1000 meter run, as he finished 4th with a time of 2:43.74.
The field is extremely competitive at these competitions, but Gosselin believes there is somewhat of a sense of brotherhood for those who compete in the heptathlon together due to the multiple events pitting them against each other.
One benefit in competing in a heptathlon is how many chances you get to earn points. If you’re not good at a certain event but are elite in multiple others though the bad showing in one event may hurt you, it won’t destroy your chances to place.
However, no matter how good at one event you may be, you never want to give your competition too much wiggle room if you hope to catch them as the athletes that place high in these meets are the best of the best.
“Despite being at a community college, a lot of these kids are going to go D1. They’re going to go be on a national team somewhere whether it be in the US or in the countries where they came from,” said Gosselin, “being able to watch them is a crazy thing but being able to compete next to them is another.”
Maliyah Ross is another Thunderbird that will make the trip to the national event. Ross is in her first year at MCC and has qualified for the pentathlon, which is similar to the heptathlon but only has five events consisting of the 60 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump, and 800 meter run.
Ross only started track and field in her senior year of high school. She has acclimated to the collegiate level with success, as at the Central Arizona College Invitational in early Feb., she finished 2nd in the pentathlon.
Making the jump from high school to college in a sport you have little experience in may intimidate others, especially when you find yourself next to the top athletes at the level.
For Ross, however, the trust and confidence she has in herself keeps nerves from kicking in before the national meet.
“I’m not nervous because once you compare yourself to how you’ll do against the other athletes you’re not going to compete the best you can. I’m focused on improving my events,” said Ross, “I’m not nervous because I feel like I’m prepared enough.”
Like Gosselin, Ross must keep her body in elite shape to compete in multiple events against stiff competition.
Though she says over time, competing so often in so many events has done a number on her legs, she knows what she must do before a meet in order to give herself the best chance for success.
“For prepping I make sure I fuel my body with proper nutrients, I stretch for every event not just my first event. Sometimes it can be hectic because it can be back to back but I like the rush, it’s fun,” said Ross.
Once the indoor national meet is over, the MCC track and field team will shift their focus over to the outdoor season which will begin on March 16 with the Mesa Outdoor Multi.
