Track and Field Team Competed with Alumni in Friendly Match

By Katie Groke            

In a meet with alumni, Trinity’s track and field team shook out the rust of the long winter and got ready for their spring season.

The team hosted their Fourth Annual Intrasquad/Alumni Meet on Saturday, where 22 graduates of the team, all donned in black with a theme of “Back in Black,” competed with 73 current track and field athletes. The student teams were “Welcome to the Jungle” and “I Woke Up Like This,” featuring animal attire and pajamas.

Funky costumes notwithstanding, the competition was serious, with both alumni and students taking a number of wins.

Emily Daum, 2009 alumna and now the head coach of the Cross Country Team at Trinity, took the first place of the 3,000-meter run. Joe Macrini won the men’s 600 meters. Macrini served as an assistant coach for Trinity’s sprints team for a number of years after graduating in 2008. Corey Wildman, a 2012 graduate, took the women’s long jump and 60 meter hurdles. Her husband, Todd Wildman, who graduated in 2009, was the champion of the men’s high jump on Saturday. Corey and Todd Wildman currently serve as jumps and hurdle coaches, respectively, at Trinity.

Student athletes currently on the team, on the other hand, won the women’s triple jump with sophomore Britney Sullivan, shotput with junior Steven Mason, and women’s 600 meters with senior Mariana Sigala. The students also outran the alumni in women’s and men’s 4x300 meters relay.

The entire match progressed in a relaxed and fun atmosphere and members of different teams cheered for each other. It was a moment of camaraderie and shared love of competition and sport.

Track and Field Head Coach Marcus Whitehead, who started this match in 2013, said the meet allowed the students to “shake the rust out and gives the alumni a chance to reconnect with the team.” The event has become a favorite of current students and alumni alike, with many alumni driving in from surrounding areas, such as Austin and Houston, to participate.

“This year’s meet might have been the best one yet as we had a great turnout, and our alumni were able to put up some competitive marks,” said alumnus Todd Wildman. He said he and his wife have always enjoyed coming back for the alumni meet because “it gives us a chance to meet the current team and see our old teammates.”

The team also used the intrasquad meet to warm themselves up before the track and field season officially starts on Jan.29, at the University of Houston indoor track invitational.