By Danny Brady
“The outdoor season is not about individual performance anymore, it’s about the team. I love coming together as a team and fighting for that team championship,” Graduate Assistant jumps coach Abby Minnott said. “Sometimes we have to make sacrifices to make sure we’re doing what we have to do to put up points and help our team work towards a title.”
Transitioning from indoor to outdoor season can pose various challenges, but it hasn’t deterred the Springfield College men’s and women’s track and field teams from performing at a high level.
Both teams got off to a strong starts at the first outdoor event of the year, the Corsair Classic, held in North Dartmouth, Mass. The men’s team posted a third place finish and the women’s team finished second out of 12 schools.
Last weekend, the programs hosted the Springfield College Outdoor Classic, their final home meet of the year. The weather was a major factor at the event, as the high jump and pole vault got moved indoors due to the wind and rain. Despite the conditions, the men’s team finished second and the women’s team came in first out of nine schools.
“I love the environment that we create at home,” said senior jumper Sam Paul, the winner of the event’s women’s triple jump. “It was a little different yesterday because of the conditions but everyone still supported each other and we performed strongly as a team.”
Shifting from indoor to outdoor season can force track athletes to adjust their training, warm ups and strategy. For jumpers, the outdoor season is more difficult because the temperature and winds aren’t controlled.
“As a jumper, you have to make a lot of adjustments on the fly in the outdoor season,” Minott said. “The stuff that we do requires a lot of accuracy and precision, and so our approach marks and strategy needs to change based on the conditions during outdoor season.”
Colder weather also increases the risk of injuries, meaning extra precautions need to be taken especially early on in the outdoor season.
“You definitely have to be more intentional with your warm up and things,” Paul said. “You need a lot more layers outdoors and it also requires better planning in terms of how you warm up because you might need more time to warm up for longer if it’s colder outside.”
While the outdoor season and conditions pose its challenges, junior sprinter Tyler Fabbri believes that the outdoor season gives athletes the best opportunity to post their fastest times.
“Outdoor it’s easier to run faster, especially once the weather gets better,” Fabbri said. “Outdoors, the track is bigger, so we don’t have to take as many turns and wind assistance can also help.”
The outdoor season is short, meaning that the season is already nearing an end. Minnott is coaching her second and final year with the program, and has enjoyed her experience when reflecting on her time at Springfield.
“This is the best choice I could have made coming out of undergrad for my career,” Minnott said. “I’ve built strong relationships and had the freedom to learn and make my own mistakes. Working here has been a huge confidence builder.”
After a slow start by her standards, Paul, a senior, has returned to her superstar form. Paul had difficulty with faulting during the beginning of the indoor season, but she put things together toward the end of the indoor season.
During the final weekend of qualifications, Paul jumped a mark of 11.86 meters, allowing her to qualify for the 2025 Division III Indoor Track and Field National Championships. Paul set a personal best of 11.90 meters, good enough for a 13th place finish at Nationals.
“That was a goal that I had set for myself at the beginning of the season either indoor, outdoor, or both,” Paul said. “It was a fun experience, because opportunities like that don’t come around every day. I have to give a lot of credit to my coach, teammates and the sports psychologists I’ve been working with and for putting me in a position to succeed.”
Fabbri has been very successful early on in the outdoor season.
He was a part of the 4×400 meter relay team that won the event with a time of 3:26.06 at the Corsair Classic. The relay team also posted a top three finish at the Springfield College Classic last weekend. Getting a week off in between the indoor and outdoor season really benefited him.
“I really let my body relax and then came back the first couple of weeks rejuvenated,” Fabbri said. “I’ve been able to stay consistent with eating, training and sleeping – which has helped me get faster.”
Both the men’s and women’s teams have built a strong team culture. Paul has created bonds on the women’s team that will last a lifetime.
“After I graduate, I know I’m not gonna remember all of the marks and meets but I will always remember my teammates,” Paul said. “We push each other in practice and we also have the ability to coach each other. We all watch and record each other’s jumps and we give each other notes and tweaks to help them out.”
On the men’s side, Fabbri has a strong cohesion with his teammates.
“I really like hanging out with the guys,” Fabbri said. “We’re really close and we do everything together. The meets are also super fun because we all cheer each other on.”
As the outdoor season nears its conclusion, both teams are looking to finish strong and compete to win at the 2025 NEWMAC Championships, being held in South Hadley, Mass. While the conditions may make it difficult for some athletes to PR, there are other ways to measure their overall success the rest of the way.
“The concept of raising your floor rather than raising your ceiling is something we’ve implemented recently,” Minnott said. “This means that our goal is to perform consistently above a certain standard on average better.”
Having more athletes qualifying and competing at the National Championships is another important goal for both teams over the final month.
“I want us to continue to improve and support each other,” Paul said. “I want to see more athletes going to the postseason meets because that shows that our training is paying off and it’s so fun to see your teammates succeed.”
Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics