Existential track and field showdown
Men and Women's teams compete at Horizon League Championships
Sean Murray
Issue date: 3/8/10 Section: Sports
Media Credit: UICFlames.comNate Kamm defies expectations and gravity on the pole vault.
UIC Men and Women's Track and Field teams both participated in the Horizon League Indoor Track and Field Championships last week. At the conclusion of the two-day extravaganza, hosted by the University of Detroit, both teams found themselves in sixth place. Though the Championship was dominated by consummate thorn-in-the-side Milwaukee, UIC made some impressive showings.
Track and Field is a strange beast, descending from one of the oldest surviving lines of athletics. Originating all the way back to the Ancient Greeks, it blurs the lines between individual and team sport, and this is noticeable when watching the UIC Flames.
Because on that day in Ann Arbor Michigan, some stand-out displays presented themselves. Because this sport is not so much a competition amongst competitors as it is between the individual and space and time. Striving to achieve that distance, or pushing to shave off that tenth of a second, the real competition is in the athlete's exploration to see just where their abilities end.
Watching a Track and Field competition is like watching a well-organized existential crisis of self overcoming self. Here are some of the results from that overcoming.
Toni Ogundare, sophomore, made a superb showing in the Women's 800-meter dash, racking up a time of 2:16:91. She ended up taking third place in the event, and earned 6 points for the Lady Flames.
Grace Millhorn, freshman, demonstrated the future of UIC Track and Field by showing great athleticism and even better potential with a time of 5:28.91 in the Women's 1-mile run. Other point earners for the Lady Flames were Constance Sciacero, sophomore, who brought in 8 points with her 1.58m showing in the Women's High Jump.
Sophomore Kellie Schuh racked up a distance of 11.46m in the Women's High Jump, which brought in another 4 points for the team. But the event where the Lady Flames really shined was the Women's Weight Throw. Six members of the squad participated in the event with half of them earning points for the team. Also, first place for the event went to UIC's very own Senior Monique Bostert, who got a distance of 17.71m.
The men's competitions which followed yielded similar results. But one of the main point-earning competitions was the 4 X 400 relay crown, where the Flames earned a time of 3:21:91. Another event where the Flames earned some much-needed points was the medley relay, with the squad pulling in a time of 10:10.71.
Junior Nate Kamm exceeded many expectations with his performance. Entering the championship with a ranking of only 6th, Kamm stepped up and pole vaulted his way into the second place position. He set a personal record in that event with 15'1".
Milwaukee, the dark lords of the track, took titles in both the Men and Women's events. This year marked the seventh consecutive title for their men's team, and the fourth straight for the women.
And though it may not always be fun to report on the bad guys winning, UIC offered some bright spots in the dark shadow of Milwaukee. And yet track must be looked at as something more than competition. It has maintained something from antiquity, from that same group of thinkers and athletes who saw competition to overcome each other and to overcome yourself together, as a team. And that something is noticeable when you witness hard training pay off for UIC athletes like Nate Kamm and Monique Bostert.
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Track and Field is a strange beast, descending from one of the oldest surviving lines of athletics. Originating all the way back to the Ancient Greeks, it blurs the lines between individual and team sport, and this is noticeable when watching the UIC Flames.
Because on that day in Ann Arbor Michigan, some stand-out displays presented themselves. Because this sport is not so much a competition amongst competitors as it is between the individual and space and time. Striving to achieve that distance, or pushing to shave off that tenth of a second, the real competition is in the athlete's exploration to see just where their abilities end.
Watching a Track and Field competition is like watching a well-organized existential crisis of self overcoming self. Here are some of the results from that overcoming.
Toni Ogundare, sophomore, made a superb showing in the Women's 800-meter dash, racking up a time of 2:16:91. She ended up taking third place in the event, and earned 6 points for the Lady Flames.
Grace Millhorn, freshman, demonstrated the future of UIC Track and Field by showing great athleticism and even better potential with a time of 5:28.91 in the Women's 1-mile run. Other point earners for the Lady Flames were Constance Sciacero, sophomore, who brought in 8 points with her 1.58m showing in the Women's High Jump.
Sophomore Kellie Schuh racked up a distance of 11.46m in the Women's High Jump, which brought in another 4 points for the team. But the event where the Lady Flames really shined was the Women's Weight Throw. Six members of the squad participated in the event with half of them earning points for the team. Also, first place for the event went to UIC's very own Senior Monique Bostert, who got a distance of 17.71m.
The men's competitions which followed yielded similar results. But one of the main point-earning competitions was the 4 X 400 relay crown, where the Flames earned a time of 3:21:91. Another event where the Flames earned some much-needed points was the medley relay, with the squad pulling in a time of 10:10.71.
Junior Nate Kamm exceeded many expectations with his performance. Entering the championship with a ranking of only 6th, Kamm stepped up and pole vaulted his way into the second place position. He set a personal record in that event with 15'1".
Milwaukee, the dark lords of the track, took titles in both the Men and Women's events. This year marked the seventh consecutive title for their men's team, and the fourth straight for the women.
And though it may not always be fun to report on the bad guys winning, UIC offered some bright spots in the dark shadow of Milwaukee. And yet track must be looked at as something more than competition. It has maintained something from antiquity, from that same group of thinkers and athletes who saw competition to overcome each other and to overcome yourself together, as a team. And that something is noticeable when you witness hard training pay off for UIC athletes like Nate Kamm and Monique Bostert.
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