The indoor track season is under way and BYU's women's and men's track and fieldteams find themselves ranked eighth and 14th, respectively, in the NCAA Division 1.
These ratings are determined by track and field and cross country coaches based upon the number of returning high-performing athletes.
'Our hope is to be in the top 10,' BYU men's track head coach Mark Robison said of the coaches' association's rankings.
After a strong performance in the BYU Cougar Indoor Invitational, the Cougars hope to step up their performance in a meet in Nampa, Idaho, on Saturday at the Boise State Invitational, their second indoor meet of the season. This meet will be more competitive than the Cougar Indoor Invitational, Robison said.
The meet will be held on the Jackson Indoor Track, the same track hosting the NCAA Championships in two months. The track is a fast track, only 200 meters in length. Robison said rather than long distance runners, more short distance runners will be competing in this meet.
This meet will be different for many runners, including freshman Kaisa Rosenberg, who will race the 600-meter run this weekend.
'This is my first time traveling with the BYU team and running on this track,' Rosenberg said. 'I want to prove to myself I can do well.'
With many competitive teams, and the rankings likely to change, Robison hopes to have quite a few more good performances from athletes like Ryan Waite, who will run the 800-meter run for the first time this season.
BYU hopes to get through the soreness and perform better with each coming week. Although the training and schedules are rigorous, many athletes find it a rewarding experience.
'It is hard,' said Amy Thorton, a freshman from Springville. 'But it is the team that makes it worth it.'