When the Virginia indoor track and field teams wrapped up the 2014 ACC Championships in Clemson, S.C. they left disappointed. With the men placing sixth and the women 10th, the Cavaliers failed to make a splash.
The following year in Blacksburg, Va., the Cavaliers improved. The women climbed up one spot to ninth place, and the men finished third — tying a program best in the process.
Heading into Boston, Mass. Feb. 25-27, the Cavaliers are looking to do exactly what they did last year — climb up in the ranks at the ACC Championships.
“[The teams] are focused and ready to take care of the mission that’s in front of them,” coach Bryan Fetzer said.
The Virginia women won their last conference title just under three decades ago in 1987. This season, the team has been focusing on making progress, Fetzer said.
“Our team on the women’s side is really built for cross country and outdoors at this time,” he said. “We want to keep getting improvements and keep moving the [indoor track and field] program forward.”
Currently, the women do not have anyone qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships. However, according to Fetzer, graduate student Iona Lake — the 2015 ACC outdoor track and field champion in 300m steeplechase — sophomore Bridget Guy, junior Christine Bohan and senior Peyton Chaney have the best chance of qualifying for the tournament.
For Chaney, though, this meet is all about the team, not any one individual.
“I think that’s the team that keeps you going and that keeps you pushing,” she said. “They’re always rooting for everyone.”
After finishes in the bottom half of the ACC the past two seasons, the women Cavaliers had a chip on their shoulder heading into this season. They want to defy expectations, Chaney said.
“We talked about goals before the semester started and [decided that] we want to do the best we can, and we want to get at least top five in ACC because we have a team that has potential to do that,” she said. “A lot of people don’t see it, but we know that we see it in ourselves. [We want to] go out there and shock some people.”
Meanwhile, the goal for the No. 23 Virginia men is very simple — win the program’s first-ever ACC Championship.
“I don’t think there’s any special motivation needed [for this meet],” Fetzer said. “We have some great leaders, and [the team] is very focused.”
Currently, senior Filip Mihaljevic — the 2015 ACC indoor and outdoor track and field champion in shot put — and the distance medley relay team of freshman Matthew Novak, sophomore Kenneth Hagen, junior Nathan Kiley and junior Henry Wynne are the only people qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Like Chaney, though, Mihaljevic is predominantly focused on the success of his team at this meet.
“It’s all about performing for the team because we all are really close,” he said. “I think everybody needs to improve in order to get the team better.”
Despite three other teams being in the USTFCCCA Top 25 — No. 11 Virginia Tech, No. 14 Syracuse and No. 18 N.C. State — and Clemson having a competitive unit this year, the native of Bosnia and Herzegovina is confident in his team, he said.
“The team has been looking really good the whole season,” he said. “We’ll be fighting for the first place.”
According to Fetzer, internal motivation is not a problem for the Cavalier men.
“I don’t think there’s any special motivation needed [for this meet],” he said. “We have some great leaders, and [the team] is very focused.”
Taking a look at both of his squads, Fetzer said it is advantageous that many of his athletes are healthy.
“The one thing that as a coach you always want to see is a healthy [team],” he said. “We’re as healthy as we’ve ever been in this entire year at this point in time.”
For separate teams, this meet is essential for both the men and women Cavaliers. For the women, it represents a shot at redemption. For the men, it represents a chance to define a legacy.
In the meantime, Fetzer wants his teams to focus on the tasks in front of them.
“You don’t worry about the end before you start,” he said.
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