As a leader of the LSU men’s track and field team, senior pole vaulter Marcus McGehee will provide his insight into the LSU Track & Field program throughout the 2011 season as the Tigers and Lady Tigers join the national championship chase once again. Check back each week as McGehee provides a behind-the-scenes look into the program from an athlete’s perspective in competition, in the classroom and in the community.
Part 7 of McGehee’s blog will feature his point of view on competing at the NCAA Championships for the first time in his collegiate career. McGehee has qualified to compete in the pole vault this weekend at the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, after earning All-SEC honors following a runner up finish at the SEC Indoor Championships on Feb. 26 when he cleared a personal best of 17-7 ½. It is a mark that ranks No. 10 in the NCAA Championships field this weekend.
What to Expect at the NCAA Indoor Championships
In this week’s blog, I’ve decided to go in a bit of a different direction. Seeing as it is my first time to compete at the NCAA Championships, I figured it would be interesting to give the reader a bit of what the experience is like, as well as the expectations that I and our other first-timers have going into the meet.
Every little kid that plays sports growing up wants to be a part of a championship team and experience. So you can say that this day has been a long time coming for me and every other athlete here in College Station that is making this trip for the first time in their career.
For me, it’s been almost unbelievable to think that I am actually competing in the meet, and after the SEC Championships I have high expectations for this weekend. I wanted nothing more from that meet to go in and help my team score to win the title, not just to win my event (pole vault). I couldn’t have cared less if I was beaten, as long as it was by one of my fellow teammates.
That is exactly what I want this weekend. I’m going in with the mentality that I need to score as many points as I can to help the team win a national championship. After I’m done competing on Friday, I plan to stay until the competition is over to cheer on my teammates so they can compete the best they can.
The Southeastern Conference has always been a powerhouse when it comes to sports, and this year is no exception. I am speaking on the behalf of the men’s team when I say that the meet this weekend will be a rematch between LSU and both Florida and Arkansas.
The Tigers are going into the meet with 15 scoring opportunities, which means we have two more scoring opportunities than SEC champion Florida and three more than Arkansas. However, that fact doesn’t sway the public’s opinion when it comes to who is favored to win.
I think our head coach, Dennis Shaver, said it best in our team meeting on Wednesday that, “No one gives you guys a chance, so that makes it even better for you to go out and prove everyone wrong.”
As part of this week’s blog, I also decided to shoot a quick video of freshman hurdler Jasmin Stowers as it is also her first NCAA Championships experience as well. Jasmin most recently won the SEC Indoor title in the 60-meter hurdles while running a seasonal-best time of 8.12 seconds in the conference final. Jasmin enters the meet ranked No. 6 in the NCAA in the hurdles in her rookie season.
She told me that she has high expectations for herself and her teammates going in, and hopes to PR in her event again to help score as many points as she can for the team.
With all of these thoughts and expectations on our shoulders, this NCAA Indoor Championships are sure to be one for all of us to remember. It all begins for both of our teams late Friday afternoon at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas.
As always, please stay tuned to the LSU Track & Field social networking sites for all of the latest up-to-the-minute coverage during a meet. If you have not already done so, be sure to become a fan of LSU Track & Field on Facebook and start following @LSUTrackField on Twitter to stay on top of everything that is LSU Track & Field.
Geaux Tigers!!