The Florida A&M track and field team is preparing for its next dose of competition, which will take place at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. on Sunday.
FAMU is coming off a successful performance during the University of Alabama at Birmingham Invitational last week, earning top-10 finishes in 12 events. This week, the team is looking to keep the momentum going.
Head coach Darlene Moore said she has increased the intensity of its practices to keep them in shape. According to Moore, the women have “stepped up their training and are pushing themselves harder at practice.”
Moore said she is looking forward to this meet because its close enough to home for fans to support the team in person.
“We are enjoying, first of all, being able to go to a close meet so that we can have our faithful alumni and supporters come out and support us,” Moore said. “We are ready to take our performances to another level, and we know that we will definitely do that competing at the Gator Invitational.”
According to Moore, the season’s goal is a top-three finish in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference this season. She said a strong finish would draw more supporters to FAMU’s athletes.
“We have a lot of stellar athletes out here and the support is already coming,” Moore said. “Even at practice we have fans that want to come up here and watch the girls practice and they are always calling my office inquiring about when are the next competitions.”
Raven Robinson, a fourth-year sprinter from Tallahassee, Fla., said she plans to use her experience in competitions to guide her teammates to success on the track.
“With my years of experience of running, I can offer effective strategies for them to be able to win the race and to gain confidence in their skills and help them be a better athlete,” Robinson said.
Stephanie Colter, a third-year high jumper from Phoenix, Ariz., said she plans to use her return to the Gator Invitational as a place where she can begin accomplishing the individual goals she set for the season.
“This is usually where I go ahead and qualify, so I’m hoping to go and repeat what I do every year and get myself qualified and ready to go for MEAC,” Colter said.