Track and Field prepares for NCAA Western Regional competition

The Boise State University track and field team will depart for the NCAA Western Regional competition this weekend at the Matador Track and Field Complex on the California State – Northridge campus.

Head Coach Mike Maynard shows faith in all aspects of the competition. Certain aspects of the team tend to stand apart, particularly in the field events.

“The tradition of Boise State track and field has been built on great jumpers and throwers,” Maynard said. “I think that the real story here is how this team is such a continuation of the tradition of dominance in the field events.”

Maynard was careful to attribute all aspects of the team to their success despite the elite nature of the field athletes, particularly Nick Cunningham. Cunningham will be competing in the 200 meter dash at the regional competition.

“Nick has had a phenomenal season,” Maynard said. “He’s one of the parts of the team . that without his contributions we would have never been able to participate in and win the [Western Athletic Conference] Championship the way we did.”

Cunningham will focus on the individual aspect of the competition with his future in mind.

“At this point now he is really running individually to make it on to the next level,” Maynard said. “I think that he has a definite chance to make it on to the NCAA Championships.”

“Sprinters tend to run faster when competing against tougher competition,” Maynard said. “I think Nick has a lot more time to drop off his 200 meter in particular.”

Points scored by the athletes have pushed the team to achieve championship status. The obvious strength in the field events has pushed the team a little bit further this season, partially due to Ryan Grinnell’s performance. Grinnell is an Idaho Falls native and is an easy favorite for Broncos fans. His grand spectacle of a performance scored 49.56 of 103.12 points to launch Boise State to championship status in the WAC.

The jumps in the field events are central to the movement of the team. Thriving on the performance of others is a key component of the jumpers for the Broncos.

“We just feed off of each other,” Grinnell said. “When somebody jumps well, we all jump well because we all have that competition level.”

Behind the athletes are key components in the coaching staff. Petros Kyprianou is the jumpers’ coach at Boise State. He also serves as a drive for the team.

“[Kyprianou] has more faith in us than we have in ourselves,” Grinnell said. “He has been a huge influence on us jumpers. We have all had personal bests this year.”

“Kyprianou has a way of helping to hit our marks,” Grinnell said. His faith in the team has been a major factor in the domination of the Boise State jumpers.

Eleni Kafourou in particular has flown under the radar with accomplishments in jumping. Kafourou is the highest ranked athlete for international placement in regards to her strongest event, the long jump. She is ranked No. 26 in the world in the event and is another product of the phenomenal performance of the Broncos’ field athletes.

Kirk Bell

Related Posts:

1. Track and Field prepares for NCAA Championships
2. BSU prepares for Indoor Championships
3. Victorious: Boise State men’s track and field wins the WAC Championship, while the women’s team takes third
4. First time for everything: BSU women’s track and field eyes first WAC Championship in program history
5. A Swede addition: Per Strandquist and the track and field team will compete in the Western Athletic Conference Indoor Championship meet this weekend at the Jacksons Indoor Track in Nampa.