By: Madyson Montoya- Staff Writer
After 30 years of waiting at the starting line, the pistol has been fired and men’s track is racing back to Speed City.
A huge part of the team’s history has been missing representation, but it’s back and ready to put San Jose State’s men’s track and field on the map once again.
“We’re definitely going to try to make this Speed City again,” said head coach Kendra Reimer-Gonzales.
Reimer-Gonzales is new to the Spartans, but she is looking to build a legacy with one of the most mem- orable programs in the nation.
To her, the past is a key component to success. Reimer-Gonzales told the team to “Appreciate what you have here as a track team from the people who came before us.”
The reinstatement is perfectly timed out with the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Olympics.
“I’m very blessed and super excited,” Reimer-Gonzales said. “It’s a dream job.”
In the world of track and field, SJSU was above all. Being a part of the group that hopes to bring it back to that prestigious level is an honor along with a challenge.
“I feel a good pressure to live up to a lot, and do my part of building this program,” Reimer-Gonzales said. She not only has to worry about creating a foundation for this new team, but has a history to uphold.
The new chapter also brings up an old problem of the track and field facilities.
“In reality we had two guys go to nationals last year for outdoor, and we don’t have a track,” said senior Craig Huff. The facilities aren’t a problem for the team. They are here to compete, and all that matters is that they are finally getting that opportunity despite their practice facilities.
“Now we get to have a conference meet,” Huff said. “We get to really show the conference, ‘Hey, we’re Speed City, we’re back, we’re ready to come out here and show them who we are.’”
That will make the debut of the men’s track and field team memorable.
Many Spartans have graduated from the program without getting to compete in a conference meet. However, their efforts were needed to make this reinstatement a possibility.
For Huff and Hurray Zeratsion, their last year gets to be the start of a legacy.
“It’s our last set, so we’re going all out,” Zeratsion said.
“It’s pretty unbelievable,” Huff said. “I like to tell people I go to San Jose State and I run track there, and they’re like ‘that’s Speed City.'”
With a new head coach and a longer training season, the team has a clean slate entering the year.
“Even though it is a very old and historical program, we’re still new babies at this point,” Reimer-Gonzalez said.
Despite the fact that the squad was not under the program’s list of Athletics, the athletes have been training over the past few years and competing in select meets.
Looking at other athletes is ideal for the track and field program because many come from a background in track, but the completion of the team is still in the works.
The team mostly consists of cross country runners, but according to Huff, they’re hoping to add throwers and jumpers.
Some, life Huff, were recruited out of high school to run cross country and track, but others just tried out.
“I tried to walk on from the second day of school,” Zeratsion said. “I finally got my tryout and ended up walking on.”
The men’s track and field program was able to attract athletes even when it wasn’t fully under Athletics. The dedication of these athletes is what is going to launch their strong start this year.
The runners are face with a lot of challenges this year as they will go from cross country to indoor and straight to outdoor.
“I’ve probably never trained this hard as I have this year,” Zeratsion said. “I don’t know it its because of it’s my last year here, and on top of that, track is back.”
Follow Madyson on Twitter: @madysonmontoya
