Track Quotes: Walt Drenth

Jan. 26, 2012

EAST LANSING, MICH. - The following are quotes from the Director of Track & Field, Walt Drenth, as he discusses some of his athletes and tomorrow's Indiana Invitational.

On what he liked and didn't like from his team's performance at the Notre Dame Invitational:

"We competed pretty well. Most of us got the idea that in the second meet of the year we needed to get the cobwebs out. There were a couple of really good teams there and yet we were at the front of a lot of events. That's been our objective - just to get better every week. We had a chance to assess how people were going to compete and from my standpoint, and from the assistant coaches' standpoint, that went pretty well. From a standpoint of what I didn't like, we are still in a little bit of a hurry, especially in regards to some of the younger athletes. They want to rush into performing and instead of attempting to execute what they do every day in practice."

On Becca Buchholtz (high jump) and her Big Ten honor:

"It's a great honor for her. The Big Ten is a tremendous conference and she's clearly one of the better jumpers - not only in the Big Ten - but in the country. We think that she is capable of more and I think she's made a lot of progress. The six foot jump has escaped her a bit but she's always been close. I knew after her first attempt that she was going to make it - we could tell in how she was coming off the ground. She seemed to have a sort of sense and presence about her. She was definitely ready to compete and you could see the intensity and how she was locked in. It was a great example of what's necessary for success as it relates to the rest of the group. I think some of the younger kids really learned some lessons that day from her performance."

On Jay Gillespie (weight throws):

"He's been exciting to watch. Coach John Newell has done a great job with the throwers. He's been throwing the weight a long way consistently and it hasn't been much of a surprise. I think he has the ability to do more. The one thing he has done better this year more than any other is that he has let go and had more fun with the event. Instead of being obsessed with a specific mark, he's just been immersing himself in the competition.

On Austin Wissler (800 meters):

"We thought we had a special athlete when we recruited him. He's a little further ahead in the learning curve than we had anticipated. But at the same time, his practices in the fall were really good and he's came to practice and asked what to do and how to get better. It indicates the importance of the investment in terms of the outcome. But I also think it speaks volumes about him in that he's always asking "What do I have to do?" "Tell me how fast do think I can run." We've put things out there for him in order to meet his objectives and he keeps doing them consistently. That's how we get better - when the athletes trust us and follow our lead. We're excited that he's here."

On his expectations for the Indiana Invitational:

"Every time we go to an event like this we're just trying to get better as a program. Clearly, competing at the front is important. This will be the most competitive environment we've been in. Notre Dame will be there. Indiana will be there and they have an exceptional track and field program. The track there is incredibly fast, the runways are fast and the rings are good. We are excited to go and get a chance to compete at a higher level. Our objective every week is to increase the intensity of our meets. The next three invitationals, from here through the middle of February, are a little bit better and that is specifically designed to prepare us for the environment of the Big Ten Championships."

Michigan State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Becca Buchholtz

Jay Gillespie

Austin Wissler

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