HARTSVILLE, S.C. - First year head coach Gus Schmader will hope to utilize a strong veteran presence throughout his teams to lead the Cobras to success in the upcoming men's and women's track and field season.
Coach Schmader will lean on his collection of upperclassmen to help guide the newcomers and share their knowledge and experience both on and off the track. When asked about the progress of his freshmen, Schmader said "our newcomers have been progressing well and are primed to make contributions in multiple event areas from the jumps, hurdles, short sprints, and distance as well. They mesh together extremely well and have created a bond that encourages working together as a team."
The Cobras return a strong squad that features several SAC finalists and All-Region representatives. Schmader had this to say about his returners: "We have a few returners who were conference finalists and one returning conference champion. We would like them to build on their past successes and for the other returners to continue to progress and improve."
The Coker women's team includes two returners (Nya Exum and Calene Lazare) that were named to the USTFCCCA All-Region team for the 2021 season. The men's team also features a returner that received accolades last season as junior Kristoffer Persen recorded ten top-10 finishes and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team. The Cobras also welcome back sophomore Mike Earley, who set school records in both the shot put and discus last season.
When asked about potential difficult stretches of the schedule Schmader commented, "I think the toughest stretch of our schedule will be the meets in January. It's always tough to jump back into competition immediately after the Christmas break, but usually by the third meet everyone will be ready to go."
The Cobras kick off their indoor schedule on Dec. 4-5 at the JDL College Kickoff Classic in Winston-Salem, N.C. Coker will make two return trips to Winston-Salem in January as they compete in the Mondo College Invitational and the Flat is Fast Invitational on the Jan. 15 and Jan. 23 respectively. The month of February will see the Cobras compete at two Division I meets as they travel to Lynchburg, Va. for the Liberty Open on Feb. 5, before competing in Columbia, S.C. at the USC Indoor Open on Feb. 19. The teams will close out February at the South Atlantic Conference Indoor Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Feb. 25-26.
The outdoor schedule for Coker track and field gets going in March as the Cobras will travel to the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational (Mar. 18-19), Rams College Invitational (Mar. 19), and Emory Spring Break Classic (Mar. 25-26). The month of April will see the Cobras make several trips to North Carolina for meets including: Vertklasse Meeting (Apr. 1-2) in High Point, N.C., Johnson C. Smith Invite (Apr. 8-9) in Charlotte, N.C. and the NC A&T Aggie Classic (Apr. 23) in Greensboro, N.C.. Coker will wrap up their outdoor schedule in May with the South Atlantic Conference Outdoor Championships on May 5-6 in Anderson, S.C., and the UMO Last Chance meet in Mount Olive, N.C. on May 14.
Both teams begin the season this weekend (Dec. 4-5) at the JDL College Kickoff Classic in Winston-Salem, N.C.. The women's team will compete on Saturday (Dec. 4) and the men's team will compete on Sunday (Dec. 5). Start time is 10:00 a.m. for both days of the meet. Coverage can be found at www.cokercobras.com throughout the season.