As the Hornet track team goes into its final stretch run before the Big Sky Championships and the NCAA regional, the team is poised and riding high.

The Sacramento State Open is the last home meet of the year and is also Senior Day. For many athletes, it is possibly the last time they will ever compete in front of the home crowd.

“It’s going to be an emotional meet,” senior Nancy Searcy said. “I hope a lot of people come out. We just got the track resurfaced, and a fast surface equates to fast times.”

The Hornets haven’t been able to use the track for a week because of the resurfacing. This week is their first opportunity to try the new turf out.

“It will be interesting to see how it feels,” Searcy said.

Searcy is extremely close to breaking the school record in the 110-meter hurdles and the long jump. She is one-hundredth of a second away and less than a full inch from achieving both of those milestones.

“I just want to close it out at home with the best performance I can,” Searcy said.

Lori Vaught has excelled this year as well. She has qualified for the regional in the triple jump, but is currently a centimeter short in the long jump.

“I’m looking forward to this last meet at home,” Vaught said. “It’s a good refresher – making sure everything clicks. We love having everyone come out to watch us.”

After a more than successful indoor season, the Hornets have continued to overachieve on the outdoor side as well.

Junior Daniel Imlach has been steady in the pole vault throughout the year. He is currently in position for another Big Sky title and has already qualified for regional competition.

David Nichols has continued to stay consistent in a bid to win his third straight Big Sky outdoor title in the shot put. His discus has also improved dramatically over the course of the season and still competes despite not being 100 percent because of the wrist injury he suffered in December.

“We are going to be up for winning the outdoor conference meet-this team, once we get in championship phase we really turn it on. It was a big confidence booster winning indoor, and now we can win and surprise the league again, since they all think it was a fluke,” Nichols said.

Senior Chauncey Corbin is one of the most solid sprinters on the team. He continually puts up good times and competes hard at every meet. The recognition doesn’t always come his way, but he continues to improve and strive for excellence.

This is also the last chance for the relay teams to practice their handoffs in a competitive environment. Relay exchanges are key to a possible victory.

For many of the seniors, it is their last day – their last hurrah. Not every senior will make it to the Big Sky Championships or the NCAA regional. For some, this is their last chance at Sac State to qualify and do the best they possibly can, for themselves and the school.

“This meet is a good opportunity for a lot of athletes to bring together their technique and fine-tune their performance,” Director of Track and Field and coach Kathleen Raske said.

Raske stressed that the men’s Big Sky Indoor victory earlier this year was by only a point and a half. That leaves no margin of error if the team is to continue its winning ways. There are also more events outdoor, which leaves less room for any kind of mistake.

“We need everyone to step it up and perform at their best if we want another title,” Raske said.

Raske continued to say that she expects the women to shine as well. She said Weber State is the favorite, but if everyone comes together, she thinks they can finish in the top three.

While other sports’ home events get athletes psyched and fired up, Raske said track isn’t quite like that. She stressed that quite a few athletes will be resting, but it is also the athletes’ last chance to get a qualifying mark for the Big Sky and NCAA Championships.

“It is much more of a mental challenge now,” Raske said. “The physical work is done. It’s about being prepared for the championship season.”

The Sacramento State Open is on Friday at Hornet Stadium. It is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. and run throughout the day.

Galen Kusic can be reached at [email protected]