Track Meet Results

[GrandGreen]

Western Kentucky wins both men and women's outdoor track crown for third straight year. NT men finish sixth out of ten teams and women end up in third. Alysha Adams was female athlete of the meet.

I think it is time for RV to look at the track program, there is no reason NT should continually settle for mediocre in track and field. This meet was at Denton and IMO the results were very disappointing. Congrats to the NT winners but there should have been a lot more.

[THOR]

Western Kentucky wins both men and women's outdoor track crown for third straight year. NT men finish sixth out of ten teams and women end up in third. Alysha Adams was female athlete of the meet.

I think it is time for RV to look at the track program, there is no reason NT should continually settle for mediocre in track and field. This meet was at Denton and IMO the results were very disappointing. Congrats to the NT winners but there should have been a lot more.

disappointing finish for the men. the sprinters did well, but the field events faltered. at least the women came kinda close.

[CMJ]

Weren't we like 2nd and 3rd just last year? From that stadpoint, this is pretty disappointing. Nonetheless we have some folks moving onwards.

[Welch]

Western Kentucky wins both men and women's outdoor track crown for third straight year. NT men finish sixth out of ten teams and women end up in third. Alysha Adams was female athlete of the meet.

I think it is time for RV to look at the track program, there is no reason NT should continually settle for mediocre in track and field. This meet was at Denton and IMO the results were very disappointing. Congrats to the NT winners but there should have been a lot more.

I think it is past time for RV to look at the football program. But that is beside the point. As an alumni, I follow the track team and have been since I finished competing. This is my first time on this board.

As a letterman this is what I have seen... It is not necessarily the program that needs replacing or fixing, the fact is the team's resources are slim. The coaches are great and are some of the best ones anywhere around. The men's program has been hit hard with title nine and the budget is next to nothing. WKU has been tearing a part the conference the last few years because of two main reasons: they have a at least 10 foreign athletes and they have a ton of athletes (I think almost double what NT has). They can field athletes in pretty much every event and we can't. That is a huge advantage in track and field.

If you look at it though, this is the best team NT has had in years. They have more regional qualifiers than previously and finished 2nd in indoor. Bad meets happen. It just sucks that the bad meet was conference. NT has been placing consistently in the top 3 to 4 the previous years. Same with cross country where most of the guys are walk-ons. The cross country team can't even field a full team because the football team needs back up kickers (title nine).

It is frustrating to see you guys not give a crap about track but once a year. They do a hands down better job than the dadgum football team yet you think they suck because they don't win conference. Wake up, they are one of the better teams NT has. With more resources, no telling what those coaches could accomplish.

[MeanGreenTexan]

It is frustrating to see you guys not give a crap about track but once a year. They do a hands down better job than the dadgum football team yet you think they suck because they don't win conference. Wake up, they are one of the better teams NT has. With more resources, no telling what those coaches could accomplish.

I agree with this. Hopefully, with the upcoming student fee increase, the T&F teams will have a little more dough to play with.

Good thing you weren't on the logistics team Welch. All they do is win 3 straight National Championships and there is a 1/2 page thread for them... T&F is great. I'm sure I speak for everyone else on the board when I say I love the Mean Green Track & Field team. I don't think we're the only fans/message board in the country that show less attention to T&F than football though. There are many other UNT teams that share your same arguement. Soccer. Tennis. Heck, even mens basketball! But I don't think you can argue against Football being the sport that butters the bread at UNT.

[KRAM1]

Can you spell "non-revenue sport"? It's too bad, I get it as I am a big soccer fan. At least you still have men's track and field. UNT killed the men's soccer program due to Title IX as did many other universities. Resources are definitely a problem for all the non-revenue sports. I wonder what the giving is like for alums and letter-men from the non-revenue sports? Sometimes the squeaky wheels get some of the grease, and in college athletics money/donations = grease.

As to the fan support and board chatter thing. Well, you mention this was you first post, Welch. Where have you been? Many of us, even those who live in Denton, don't get much news or PR about the program. If supporters of the program posted a bit more on here, maybe more folks would be able to attend or take notice.

I support all the programs at UNT and provide some level of "un-designated support" which I believe the dept. can use wherever they see fit. I believe some of that money goes to the non-revenue sports like track and field, does it not?

I welcome your posts on track and field, and will look forward to learning more about the program. While not a big fan of track and field, I do support UNT and would welcome knowing more about local events.

Congrats to all the qualifiers for UNT at this weekend's conference championships.

[GrandGreen]

I think it is past time for RV to look at the football program. But that is beside the point. As an alumni, I follow the track team and have been since I finished competing. This is my first time on this board.

As a letterman this is what I have seen... It is not necessarily the program that needs replacing or fixing, the fact is the team's resources are slim. The coaches are great and are some of the best ones anywhere around. The men's program has been hit hard with title nine and the budget is next to nothing. WKU has been tearing a part the conference the last few years because of two main reasons: they have a at least 10 foreign athletes and they have a ton of athletes (I think almost double what NT has). They can field athletes in pretty much every event and we can't. That is a huge advantage in track and field.

If you look at it though, this is the best team NT has had in years. They have more regional qualifiers than previously and finished 2nd in indoor. Bad meets happen. It just sucks that the bad meet was conference. NT has been placing consistently in the top 3 to 4 the previous years. Same with cross country where most of the guys are walk-ons. The cross country team can't even field a full team because the football team needs back up kickers (title nine).

It is frustrating to see you guys not give a crap about track but once a year. They do a hands down better job than the dadgum football team yet you think they suck because they don't win conference. Wake up, they are one of the better teams NT has. With more resources, no telling what those coaches could accomplish.

Lets see the football program sucks, therefore the track programs should not be criticised. My suggestion for RV to look at the program actually ties in to your comments. Note, I did not say that the team lacked coaching or dedicated atheletes. I learned a long time ago when looking at non-revenue sports that funding is often the issue. One issue you mentioned was WKU and the number of foreigners and participants they had on the team. My question is how to they do it when all teams have the same scholarship limits? It appears to me that NT a very large university sitting in the middle of the metroplex in sports that are mostly played by athletes on partial ships should be dominate. I guess my standards are too high but NT's track teams does not win enough when you consider that there are 6 championships a year. Being in the top four most years is not that great of an accomplishment when you factor in the Belt competition.

Another pet peeve of mind is the seemingly focus in track of getting participants in the regionals, I like most fans could not care much less. The focus is on the conference meet as all other meets are participated in as practice or qualifying events. If NT were a regional track power then the number of regional qualifiers might be more meaningful. I do follow track as it has always been one of my favorite sports and I do appreciate the individual NT athletes but NT does IMO a poor job in these sports. For instance, it is the only sport I can think of that usually does not even announce their recruits. The lack of information makes following the team difficult. For instance, Anderson ran one of the fastest times in NT history although wind aided in the 100m and then just disappeared.

If track is as poorly funded as you indicate than I hope that the budget is improved and visions of adding more teams like baseball is dropped at NT until the current sports can be maintained at a high competitive level. I do get the feeling that the track teams are more an afterthought at NT, and finishing in the top half is viewed as more than satisfactory.

[Welch]

I've come to grips, especially during my years on the team, with the fact that track will never get much attention outside of its already established fan base. Not only here, but nation wide. And it is understandable due to the way everything is set up. Football makes the money and track does not. Therefore, I am a football fan too. But please, just because of one bad weekend, don't assume that the track program is in need of repairs. It is one of the most consistent sports NT has.

Thanks for the welcome! I've been visiting here on and off but never have posted until now. I will be sure and update on track and field/xc. Go mean green!

Edit:

I don't think that the team has the max number of scholarships that it can have while WKU most likely does. Plus, the guys have the max amount of guys on the team that RV has allowed (title nine). As for 6 championships a year... cross is different from track and indoor is different from outdoor. Events are different in each. That plays a big role in it. Also, it is difficult to stay in shape for all three championships year around. But, I think this all comes back to limited resources. The cross country guys have only had 6 guys on the team when all others had 7. This has hurt the team the past couple of years. And WKU dominates indoor and outdoor for the reasons I have already stated. While I do give these excuses, I too would like to see championships. Its sucks seeing the program be consistently at the top but never winning one.

I think regionals and conference has always been an issue in track nation wide. While the coaches are expected to produce regional qualifiers, they are also expected to do well in conference. Sometimes these meets work together, but sometimes they don't. This is the first year that conference winners are not automatically qualified to regionals. I'm not a fan of it.

As far as the press releases let out, I don't think they tell much because they don't believe people care. I'm sure if you were to email them they would tell you everything. I don't know though, but I do agree with you. More info on the team would be nice.

Edited May 10, 2010 by Welch

[untbowler]

I've come to grips, especially during my years on the team, with the fact that track will never get much attention outside of its already established fan base. Not only here, but nation wide. And it is understandable due to the way everything is set up. Football makes the money and track does not. Therefore, I am a football fan too. But please, just because of one bad weekend, don't assume that the track program is in need of repairs. It is one of the most consistent sports NT has.

Thanks for the welcome! I've been visiting here on and off but never have posted until now. I will be sure and update on track and field/xc. Go mean green!

Edit:

I don't think that the team has the max number of scholarships that it can have while WKU most likely does. Plus, the guys have the max amount of guys on the team that RV has allowed (title nine). As for 6 championships a year... cross is different from track and indoor is different from outdoor. Events are different in each. That plays a big role in it. Also, it is difficult to stay in shape for all three championships year around. But, I think this all comes back to limited resources. The cross country guys have only had 6 guys on the team when all others had 7. This has hurt the team the past couple of years. And WKU dominates indoor and outdoor for the reasons I have already stated. While I do give these excuses, I too would like to see championships. Its sucks seeing the program be consistently at the top but never winning one.

I think regionals and conference has always been an issue in track nation wide. While the coaches are expected to produce regional qualifiers, they are also expected to do well in conference. Sometimes these meets work together, but sometimes they don't. This is the first year that conference winners are not automatically qualified to regionals. I'm not a fan of it.

As far as the press releases let out, I don't think they tell much because they don't believe people care. I'm sure if you were to email them they would tell you everything. I don't know though, but I do agree with you. More info on the team would be nice.

I think some schools pick their sports to focus on. WKU is King of the Hill in the T&F/CC, while they absolutely suck when it comes to Tennis (M & W) and many other sports. UNT has become good at many sports but not conference championship in any one outside of maybe Basketball and Soccer. If we are not giving out full scholarship amounts then shame on Rick V. and staff for not putting out more opportunities to further Title IX, which I believe is a cop-out considering the initial Athletics Fee was put in place (Circa 2002 or so) for Title IX purposes. Hell add Women's Bowling for 6-8 more women's players (if SFA and SHSU can do it financially), the tennis team carries 10 players (2 walk-ons).

The results in most sports show that UNT should put the conference realignment talks aside until we can contend for the Bubas Cup every year, not finish 3rd 20-30 pts behind WKU & MTSU, and start winning conference championships or finish Top 3 in every sport we fund.

[GrandGreen]

I've come to grips, especially during my years on the team, with the fact that track will never get much attention outside of its already established fan base. Not only here, but nation wide. And it is understandable due to the way everything is set up. Football makes the money and track does not. Therefore, I am a football fan too. But please, just because of one bad weekend, don't assume that the track program is in need of repairs. It is one of the most consistent sports NT has.

Thanks for the welcome! I've been visiting here on and off but never have posted until now. I will be sure and update on track and field/xc. Go mean green!

Edit:

I don't think that the team has the max number of scholarships that it can have while WKU most likely does. Plus, the guys have the max amount of guys on the team that RV has allowed (title nine). As for 6 championships a year... cross is different from track and indoor is different from outdoor. Events are different in each. That plays a big role in it. Also, it is difficult to stay in shape for all three championships year around. But, I think this all comes back to limited resources. The cross country guys have only had 6 guys on the team when all others had 7. This has hurt the team the past couple of years. And WKU dominates indoor and outdoor for the reasons I have already stated. While I do give these excuses, I too would like to see championships. Its sucks seeing the program be consistently at the top but never winning one.

I think regionals and conference has always been an issue in track nation wide. While the coaches are expected to produce regional qualifiers, they are also expected to do well in conference. Sometimes these meets work together, but sometimes they don't. This is the first year that conference winners are not automatically qualified to regional. I'm not a fan of it.

As far as the press releases let out, I don't think they tell much because they don't believe people care. I'm sure if you were to email them they would tell you everything. I don't know though, but I do agree with you. More info on the team would be nice.

I appreciate your comments, it is nice to hear from someone who has been there. The facts are that the NCAA limits scholarships based on all three sports, indoor track, outdoor track, and cross country; so although the sports are different they all draw from the same group of athletes. The current ship limits are 12.6 for men and 18 for women thanks to title 9 considerations. I would hope that NT does offer the maximum. I do wonder how WKU with 10 foreigners on their men's team and eight on their women's does it and stays within the rules. What WKU and to a slightly less extent MTSU does, is fill their cross distance team with foreigners, who also dominate the distance events in track. This is a proven strategy used by many schools but it unusual to see a school like WKU who also seems to have a very deep track team. Usually those type of foreign dominated teams are thin and seldom win conference meets but do well in regional and national competition.

[UNTLifer]

Rick Watkins does a lot with a little and is a great coach. Does Carl Sheffield still coach the sprinters? Great coach and a great man.