Collegiate Times

The Virginia Tech men’s track and field team finished second in the ACC Championship last weekend, falling short of Florida State by 21 total team points. 

Distance runners are some of the team’s strongest contributors. These runners are unique because they compete in the fall for the cross country team, as well as in the winter and spring with the indoor and outdoor track teams.

Ben Thomas, the distance and cross country coach has been with Tech since 2001 and coached many successful runners in a variety of events, including the 800, 1,000, 1,500 and 3,000 meter steeplechase. 

Because distance runners run three different seasons, the team knows how disciplined it must be to be successful. 

“There is no other sport that doesn’t have an offseason during the school year,” Thomas said. “We’re the only event area that competes for three NCAA championships. There’s no other sport that does that. We have more opportunity, but with that, the discipline and the aspect of being in season is quite unique.”

The team not only practices twice a day, but it also incorporates strength training and swimming into its workouts. Thomas said the swimming is more than work because the runners are more like fish out of water in the pool. 

But the runners take pride in their training.

“A lot of people associate running with jogging, which is a common misconception,” said Michael Hammond, a junior mid-distance runner. “What those people don’t understand is if you take their hardest mile, we do that 10 times faster.”

Hammond specializes in the 1,500 meter race and competes on the cross country team.

The time these athletes spend together is significant. Therefore, it’s no surprise that they share a bond and push one another in practice.

“We’re a pretty close-knit group,” Hammond said. “We all run cross country in the fall, so we’re kind of like a separate team from the track team as a whole. Not that we’re not close to the sprinters and throwers, but we practice with each other every day, normally twice a day.”

Ryan Witt, a senior whose specialty is the 800 meter, said team members motivate one another when split into groups, depending on what distance they run. 

“When we’re doing workouts we get separated into groups depending on what races we’ll be competing in like the 800, the 1500 or 5k and 10k,” Witt said. “In those smaller groups, which have maybe six to nine people, we all do the workout together and push each other individually or as a group. It’s a lot easier to do it together as opposed to just going out and doing it by yourself.”

An event that has been successful over the years is the 4-by-800 meter relay, which is only run during the indoor season. The event is run at larger invitational meets, such as the Penn Relay Invitational, which is this weekend, during the spring season. 

The current members of the relay team — Nick McLaughlin, Witt, Tihut Degfae and Hammond — hold the fourth best time in school history.

Thomas said he thinks the team can break the school record at the Penn Relays this weekend.

“Two of these guys, Michael and Ryan, were on the record setting team last year so they technically do hold the school record,” Thomas said. “But with the way they are running, we should break the school record there.”

Behind any successful team are usually quality leaders within the roster. Thomas can rely on upperclassman such as Witt and Hammond to positively influence other team members.

“One of the things that has made us strong over the last few years is that we have a few guys that can lead really well by example,” Thomas said. “There’s not ‘anyone’ necessarily, there’s several guys who lead by example and performance, and that’s the reason we’re always in contention for an ACC championship.”

The Penn Relays will be one of the last times the distance runners will compete as a team this season. The track season will finish in early June with the NCAA Championships, a qualifying meet.  

A version of this article appeared in the Apr 27 issue of the Collegiate Times.