by Dacoda McDowell-Wahpekeche, Student Reporter
The Lady Rangers competed in their first indoor track meet at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. The competition starts the team’s second year of track and field in the Great American Conference.
The Lady Rangers are coached by Jill Lancaster and Craig Binkley.
According to the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Athletic Communications website, Lancaster was named one of the Top 10 Female Athletes of the Century in 2009. She was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.
She has coached several NCAA Division – I track teams, including at the University of Oklahoma and Troy University. She has also served as an assistant coach at numerous universities.
Binkley has experience in track and field coaching. While coaching runners at Wittenberg University in Ohio, his runners broke school records in the 800-meter and 5,000-meter races, according to Northwestern’s Athletic Communications website.
“We are moving in the direction where we could be a force, not just individually, but as a team,” Lancaster said. “As long as we use every meet as a learning tool to be better for the next one, it’s a good day you get to compete.”
With the inaugural season of track and field being last year, the Lady Rangers are “looking to improve” this season in the Great American Conference.
With four Second Team All-GAC honors, one First Team All-GAC honor and a GAC champion in the javelin throw, according to Northwestern’s Athletic Communications website, the team will have experience under its belt.
There are eight track meets in the season excluding the NCAA National Championships. Out of the eight, four of them are in Oklahoma.
The Lady Rangers will compete in Norman at the University of Central Oklahoma’s track meet.
They will have opportunities to participate in the GAC Indoor Championship in Norman, an outdoor meet in Yukon hosted by Southwestern Christian University and another meet at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee.
Senior Kayla Gourley, according to the university’s Athletic Communications website, finished in fourth place at the GAC Outdoor Championships, improving her time by seven minutes.
She said she will run the 3,000 meters in the indoor track season. With the outdoor season coming quickly, she also said she will run the 10,000-meter and 5,000-meter races.
When asked about what she expects for the upcoming season, Gourley said that she “expects to do better than last year.”
This will be the Lady Rangers’ second season to compete in the NCAA – Division II track and field.