Captains' Corner

3/22/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field

March 22, 2012

Captains' Corner is a weekly update from a captain or leader of one of the RedHawks' 19 teams that will run every other Thursday throughout the academic year. Today's update is from men's track and field's Jordan Goffena, a senior from Sidney, Ohio, who prepped at Sidney High School and is a double major in zoology and life science education.

I still remember the feeling that I had in my gut once we finished the MAC Championships last year at Northern Illinois. We placed sixth out of six teams, so as you can imagine that feeling was not one of excitement or satisfaction. However, we placed sixth with an overall score of 105 points which basically doubled our point total from the year prior and we were only 15 points off of placing third. More importantly, we only lost eight seniors since then and that feeling in our gut never went away. We have been working very hard throughout the off season, and we are more motivated than ever!

A team led by other senior leaders such as Matt Rudin, Adam Ruiz and Brett Wagner, we are ready for a new year and a new chance to rise above our competition. We completed our indoor season strong, and it's clear that our team is making great progress with impressive efforts from our team across the board. Two Indoor school records were broken as sophomore Rob Stein acquired the best indoor shot put mark in Miami history (17.73m), and I was able to claim the heptathlon record (5421 points).

There are a handful of RedHawks who will be doing some damage this year! Watch out for freshmen JaShawn Combs and Sam Chester in the 110 hurdles and Tyler Yee in the javelin. Jack Spilman, Kevin Brown and Wade Coffin should all put together a great show in the 800m, and the new freshman distance runners will get to experience their first college track meet. Seniors John Brockman and Nathan Hoch are back to lead the throwers, while sophomore Jahquil Hargrove will guide the 400m runners to a strong 4x4 relay. Junior John Cantwell has shown great potential in the leading jumpers, and Jarrod Eick, Matt Marol and Dave Wing are all ready to show what they're made of on the track!

There is a lot of excitement building up in anticipation for this Friday and Saturday as we prepare for our first official event at Vanderbilt, and I am thrilled that our season is finally here. As I stated above, it is a new year and our 2012 Miami University Men's Track and Field team is ready to show that we've been training hard and we are determined to bring home some big marks! I am honored to be the voice of this team because I have experienced firsthand what these guys are capable of, and the energy on the track has made this senior take a few steps back and appreciate the team dynamic that we've built in one year's time.

Love and Honor,
Jordan Goffena