As winter’s bitter cold progresses, the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Track and Field program is back in action for their 2016 season.  December 5 marked the start of the new year for the up and coming Beacon athletics program.  UMass Boston’s Track and Field team has been off to the races following the first gunshot for competitions.
Since her introduction to UMass Boston in 2011, Head Coach Consandria Walker has developed the Beacons into a top tier Division III track program. Despite having little national recognition, UMass Boston has become a big name within New England’s college network. Season after season, Walker has developed a variety of Beacon athletes into All-American talent, providing them with the opportunity to compete at the All New England tournament and the DIII National Championship.
In her short time here, Coach Walker has developed four different athletes into National Champion competitors for their specific events. Specifically, Walker has molded Hulerie McGuffie into a track phenom, leading her to six different National Championship appearances in just three years as a Beacon.
Coach Walker has high hopes for the remainder of the track season. “We have some great talent on our track team,” said the Coach. “In the past, Hulerie has been incredible for us. I have high expectations for her this season at Nationals. It would be great to end her career with a placed finish.”
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Despite Walker’s success, she has yet to place anyone first at a national track meet. Having said that, this season the skipper has high hopes of knocking that accomplishment off her bucket list. This season alone the Beacons have earned over six Little East Conference Athlete of the Week awards. UMass Boston has a shot at making a groundbreaking run during the Regional and National track meets if they can maintain this success.
Saturday, December 16, in the Beacons most recent track meet at the Plymouth State University Panther Invitational, Dom Nda and Taylor Driggers both had exceptional performances. Nda was able to set a new program record in the 60-meter dash, posting a time of 7.01 seconds, while Driggers obtained a first place finish in the triple jump and second place in the long jump, leaping 37-01.25 feet and 16-08.50 feet respectively.
“Dom and Taylor are developing into great athletes this year. Both are having awesome seasons for us and they are only sophomores,” said Walker. “They just need to maintain their work rate. If they keep that up… the two of them should have great careers at UMass.”
While this year’s season is just a fraction underway, the glimpse of success seems to be the foreshadowing of what will be an exceptional 2016 Track and Field season. Hopefully, UMass Boston can continue to chase history by bringing home a first place finish at this year’s National Track Meet. Only time will tell if Coach Walker’s Beacons are up to the task.