Irish Track and Field team hopes to give the ACC a run for its money

 

In the midst of the Indoor season, the Notre Dame Track and Field team is hoping for a strong entrance into the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) after a successful career in the Big East. The Irish will face new competition, including North Carolina, Florida State, Clemson and Maryland.

Last year, the women’s Track and Field team claimed their second program title in the Outdoor competition, taking first in the Big East Championship. The women’s team has finished in the top three at the Big East Championship meet 11 times in the last 18 years. The men’s Track and Field team finished second behind Connecticut, making an impressive jump from 6th to second place with their performance on the final day. Both teams look to bring tough competition to their new position in the ACC, and hope to continue doing well in this new conference.

Ihuoma Nwaogwugwu, a junior thrower from Marietta, GA, has been a member of the Notre Dame Track and Field team since her freshman year, and she looks forward to the tough season with the new ACC competition.

“The team is strong, and we have good depth, so I think we will do well if we continue to stay strong and work towards our goals,” she told the Rover. “The key word is team, the coaches really build a family within the program, and there is a real sense of community, belonging and support.”

The Irish Track and Field program is set apart from other schools by the bond that the athletes form, a closeness that Nwaogwugwu said is essential.

Nwaogwugwu related her favorite moment with the Track and Field team: “I love when we are on trips, away from the Notre Dame realm together with the rest of the team, it is fun to see new places and the competition is always nice.”

The team is aiming to accomplish great things this year in the ACC, hoping to place high in both the Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Nwaogwugwu’s personal goals for this season are to throw in the mid-18 meters by the end of the indoor season, and in the 50s for the outdoor season. She also hopes to make it to the Conference meets in both seasons.

Nwaogwugwu is not competing with the Track and Field team as a scholarship athlete, but she was not ready to give up the sport after graduating high school. The team has given her the opportunity to continue competing in a collegiate setting.

The athletes on the Irish Track and Field team have a rigorous schedule, practicing at least 6 days a week and lifting three times a week. This in addition to traveling to meets almost every weekend. Notre Dame only hosts four home meets every academic year (all of them indoors at the Loftus Sports Center) so the team members are constantly on the move. They also participate every night in training table (sharing meals with other athletes in a private dining room in North Dining Hall), and in various team events throughout the year.

Nwaogwugwu is a mechanical engineering major and a resident of Pasquerilla East Hall. When asked how she manages to balance competing on the Track and Field team and pursuing her engineering degree, Nwaogwugwu responded, “School is difficult even if you are not an athlete, so you have to have drive to do it. It is bad some weeks, but in the end it all is worth it.”

The Irish will compete next in Texas in the Texas Relays and the Victor Lopez Invitational on March 26-29.

 

Alicia Czarnecki is a freshman Environmental Engineering major. She is also a proud PE Pyro. Contact her at aczarnec@nd.edu.