TRACK TEAM TO MIX WORK WITH FUN IN THE SUN...
CLEVELAND, OH (March 18, 2008) - The Case Western Reserve University track and field team may be a little confused. Last week during the University's Spring Break would have been the time to head to Florida, but instead the outdoor Spartans, fresh off of their indoor season, will head south tomorrow.
“If we made the NCAA basketball tournament it would be spring break this week – right,” joked first-year Head Coach Stephen Rubin. “Well, I feel like our kid's effort at the indoor conference championships [University Athletic Association] was deserving of a bid to the tournament, even though we are not eligible.”
“All joking aside, it is important to us [coaching staff] that the kids get good competition opportunities during the early outdoor season because we want to be ready for the outdoor conference championships [Apr. 18-19 in Chicago]. We have to go to a place where we have a high-percentage chance of having good enough weather that everybody can do their events from distance to throws. And in early March there are only so many places you can go.”
Case Western Reserve will actually be in two places at once. Most of the team will be in Orlando for the Walt Disney World Invitational Mar. 20-21 and a few members will venture over to in Coral Gables Mar. 20-22 for the Hurricane Invitational , hosted by the University of Miami.
“Basically we get three chances to get good competition in before the conference meet, because it comes up early in the schedule this year,” Rubin continued. “We want to make the most of those opportunities.”
“I am going to Disney World” would have been fitting for senior runner Esther Erb (Richmond, Va.) to say after her All-America performance in the 5,000-meter run last week at the 2008 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships. The likes of 2008 University Athletic Association Indoor Champion [men's 5,000-meter] Dominic Smith (New Richmond, OH) and All-UAA thrower's, senior Brandon Jeffries (Northfield, OH) and junior Elizabeth Ehrke (Pewaukee, WI -pictured on page one ) are a few other who will accompany Erb, also the 2008 UAA Most Outstanding Performer [running events], to the sunshine state.
WHY DON'T THEY JUST STAY DOWN THERE?… Class schedules will prevent the Spartan track and field teams from remaining in the southern part of the country for the Emory University Asics Classic which they will be participating in the following weekend [Mar. 28-29] in Atlanta, Ga. The teams will return to Ohio following their events this weekend and make the trip down South again next weekend.
LOCAL SIGHT SEEING… Emory is the old stomping ground of Case Western Reserve Coach Steve Rubin. Rubin graduated from Emory in 1991 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and political science. He won back-to-back [1990 & 1991] UAA titles in the triple jump for the Eagles.
“I'll tell you what is going to happen,” explained Rubin. “I have been back there [Emory] with Miami, FIU [Florida International] and Wash U. [Washington, MO]. I don't like it - same as I don't like going to Philadelphia [hometown], St. Louis and Miami, because everyone will look to me for driving directions and I don't usually remember where I am going.”
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