The Tribune

THE University of The Bahamas track and field team unofficially kicked off the season with its annual time trial yesterday at The Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

Runners for the UB Mingoes team participated in trials in the 60 metres, 60m hurdles, 150m, 350m and 600m distances early Monday morning with the dew still in the air and the sun just coming up.

Head coach Ednal Rolle said he felt great about the team’s performance considering the many challenges the team has been facing as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“After such a long time without competing because of the pandemic and just getting back into competing on the collegiate scene I am pleased with the time the athletes are turning in,” Rolle said. “This shows us that most of them are ahead of where they were during the pandemic. This makes me very excited about the upcoming season.”

With the long layoff because of the pandemic he says team members need to get more comfortable with each other to build team spirit. “I think the team needs some more camaraderie because we have not been able to practice as much as we would like to have as a team,” he said.

Being in a virtual world has impacted the team’s concentration as well Rolle said.

“I also need them to get more focused for the upcoming season. Sometimes they allow their lifestyle to interfere with their training and their school work and now it’s just a matter of getting that focus back.”

UB quarter-miler Donya Roberts ran the 60m and 350m events as a way to get himself ready for the 400 and he said he felt good on the track.

“I feel really confident,” he said. “I was working on my speed and this is really helping me in that aspect of my race. Hopefully, I keep progressing and can get a faster pace in the 400 metre event.”

The Mingoes expect to open the season locally at the T-Bird Flyers meet, scheduled for January 14-15, 2022 at The Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

Abroad, the team is looking forward to The University of Miami Hurricane Invitational on March 12, 2022 in Coral Gables, Florida.