In preparing entries for Friday’s MAAC Championships, the dynamic is different than most meets. Most of the time, meet entries are driven by what is best for the athlete and at times by the parameters and limitations of the meet.
For MAACs, maximizing potential points for the team is another factor. Is it my primary driving force? That’s a tough question to answer. It should be, but sometimes it is not. As an example: I wouldn’t want to run a distance athlete in too many long races in a row, even if that athlete might be best fitted in a certain event at the MAAC meet. It is a delicate balance.
Also, we are allowed five athletes per event. Do I fill one of those precious spots with an athlete who is chasing a PR time? Or do I put someone in there that might have a better chance of scoring? The answers to all the questions vary.
In general, we cannot and do not view the MAAC meet as a “developmental” meet in which we are chasing PRs for the sake of PRs. But at the same time, we’re also not going to over-race an athlete in an event he or she wouldn’t normally be in, for a “regular” meet, just to chase a few extra points. What’s the point? (Pun intended. Of course.)
Unfortunately for our program, points are hard to come by in this meet. We will do our best and hope for the best – stretching our athletes as well as we can, with their best interest and the team’s best interest in mind.
In that order.
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