HARTSVILLE, S.C. – With the holiday season now in the rear view mirror, the stage is set for the Coker College 2015-16 men's track and field season to begin. Under the tutelage of second-year head coach Benny Morgan, the Cobras will look to improve on an impressive 75 top-10 finishes in the program's debut season.
"The guys have been working really hard in the offseason, whether it be in the weight room or out at the track, they have put in the hours," said Morgan.
Coker's season is broken up into two halves, the first half being the indoor season and the later half being the outdoor season. No matter the scenery or season, the objective remains the same; prepare the Cobras to compete in the highly competitive South Atlantic Conference Championship in mid April, where they finished eighth last season.
"Our goal is to utilize the indoor season to gain some experience for those who have not season collegiate competition and seeing where we are after a long fall training period," said Morgan. "During the outdoor season, we are looking for a top 5 finish at the SAC Championships and to double our 40 points we scored last season.
Youth is the theme of the 2015-16 Coker roster, with 22 freshmen or sophomores making up the vast majority of the 26-man roster. However, that youth brings a wealth of experience and impressive finishes last season. The Navy and Gold are led by the trio of Brandon Gambrell, Naim Fareed and Jacob Chebii.
"Brandon, Naim and Jacob are three of our higher scorers from last year's team and we expect them to continue placing well," said Morgan.
Gambrell, who competes in the high jump, long jump, 400-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash and 4 x 400, collected 17 top-10 finishes and two runner-up showings last season. Fareed racked up 12 top-10 finishes and one runner-up while competing in the 110 and 400-meter hurdles and the 4 x100 and 4 x 400 relays. Lastly, Chebii notched seven top-10 finishes in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs.
Newcomers that Morgan mentioned included cross-country runners Brandon Mullins, Luke Elliot, Joe Alteri, Razzell Kiplaget and James Gregory to go along with Josh Dacres, Ryan Archibold and Jarrell Mumford.
"We will be looking for these young guys to come right in and contribute," said Morgan.
The 2015-16 schedule includes trip to the University of South Carolina, Coastal Carolina and Winthrop University along with trips to SAC foes Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate.
The Cobras get their season underway on Saturday (Jan. 9) when they travel to Columbia, S.C. for the Gamecock Indoor Open. Races begin at 9 a.m.