With two more track meets left in the regular season, the Florida A&M men’s track team is ready to obliterate the competition. So far, the Rattlers have had two of their runners qualify for regionals, and the team said more are soon to follow.
Greg Bynes, Jr., 19, one of the two runners to qualify, said the season so far has been decent.
“This season has been good,” said Bynes, a sophomore criminal justice student from Fort Lauderdale. “Up and down a little, but we are getting better.”
Bynes said he has been training really hard, not just on the track but off the track as well. He has been keeping his grades up and trying his best to stay on the right track.
“I feel my strong point is that I’m fast,” he said. ?
Some athletes said the workouts are more time consuming and more tough, which in turn makes them stronger. Carlos Franklin, 20, is of the same opinion.
“I feel I have a pretty strong endurance and I still have to work on finishing strong,” said Franklin, a sophomore pre med biology student from Winter Haven. ??
Franklin also said the Rattlers have a lot of new freshmen that are coming in college from state-winning high school teams.? He said these athletes really help the old players because they have the winning attitude; even if they lose they are still positive.
Along with Bynes, senior Edwisht Olmann, 22, also qualified for regionals and he said this isn’t his first time.
“Freshman year was my first time qualifying for regionals,” said Olmann, a Homestead native majoring in mechanical engineering. “I didn’t qualify last year because I was injured.”
Last year the Rattlers didn’t send anyone to regionals because of injuries, and this is the first time in a while that two of their runners have qualified.
“I listen more to my body and I stop when I feel I’m pushing myself too hard,” Olmann said. “That’s one of the key factors.”
Olmann also said he feels his faith has gotten stronger and he learned to pray before his jumps. He feels that is why he made it this far. Olmann also said he changed his diet in order to maintain his athleticism.
“I pay attention to what I eat,” he said. “I make sure to stay healthy by drinking plenty of water.”
The Rattlers’ last meet was at the 2008 Pepsi Relays held at the University of Florida. The men had three top 10 finishes, and the distance medley team came in second place with a time of 10:14:29.
“We did pretty well in the last meet,” Franklin said. “Dequam Lee, a freshman, ran his personal best time of 49:3.”
Franklin also said the Rattlers have learned to push each other as a team in practice. He said this strong factor has made them a better team. The Rattlers also said their goal is to make third in MEAC outdoor championships, something they didn’t do last season.
The men’s track team will compete in the Penn Relays on April 23 in Philadelphia.