The UW-Whitewater Women’s Track and Field team played host to the Warhawk Classic Invitational this past Saturday, Feb. 3. The event represented a step up in competition from last week’s Karl Schlender Invitational, against nationally ranked teams such as No. 5 University of Chicago and No. 9 UW-La Crosse. While the Warhawks didn’t win any events, there were standout performances and things to be built on. 

“Team score we really don’t get caught in,” said head coach Mike Johnson after the early season meet. “Unless you put everybody in their main events, which we didn’t. That’s where it can be deceptive.”

The team is trying various athletes in different roles to try and get a beat of where the Warhawks can pick up team points, which are awarded to the top eight marks in any given event. Johnson also has some girls running in events that aren’t necessarily their top event. Add the fact that some have multiple events, such as Sydney Rossow, and there’s room to improve. 

This setup isn’t conducive to team scoring, but helps the coach and his staff get a better feel for the role each athlete plays on the team. 

“We look at more where are they progressing in their events,” said Johnson. 

Rossow, a sophomore from West Bend, competed in her favored 60-meter hurdles, as well as 4×400 relay and triple jump. She recorded a 9.59, which was not good enough to make the final. 

“Hurdles is definitely my best event, today was just an off day for me. I think I just choked under the pressure a little bit,” she said of her disappointing performance. 

Her poor form continued in triple jump, where she posted a 10.52m, well below her expected mark. This could be due to bad luck, but the fact that it’s early in the season also makes a huge impact. 

“Last week was our first week back from break,” she said after the meet. “Everything’s just kind of catching up with us right now.”

The bad results weren’t able to keep Rossow down, and when she left the triple jump to participate in the 4×400 meter relay, there was a change in her demeanor. 

“Sydney is our best triple jumper, and she jumped but we pulled her from the finals, because it was going to be so close to the 4×400. That’s another example like with the team score: We don’t get any points because she didn’t score,” said Johnson. 

The 4×400 relay team that Whitewater put out faced an up-hill battle. All four of the participants had raced in a previous event. 

“All of those girls already had an event under their belt,” said Johnson, who specializes in coaching the long sprinters. “They weren’t fresh at all. It’s exciting to see what they can do not being fresh after those kinds of efforts,” he said.

After falling behind during the first leg of the race, run by Alissa Korslin, the baton was passed to Rossow as she pelted off. She closed the gap on her first lap, and finally caught up to the Monmouth runner on her second lap, slowly pulling even and finally passing her. This drew a huge cheer from her teammates who had surrounded the track to offer encouragement.  

“That definitely gave me an extra adrenaline boost, ‘cause that was my second lap around. It makes you feel good, makes you feel like you’re doing something right, going faster and picking up pace,” said Rossow. 

Going faster and picking up the pace is a must for the Warhawks. The season starts to heat up, and the team will look to be in top shape when they return on Feb. 15 for the Midwest Elite.