The Aquinas men’s track team opens up its season on April 4 at the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing. The Saints are looking to win the conference title, and are going to be serious contenders for the WHAC championship. Track has always been a strong sport at Aquinas, and the Saints are looking to start the year of right in East Lansing.

“Our goal is the same as always—to win the conference meet and send as many athletes as possible to the national meet,” said senior team captain and middle distance runner Chris Leikert.

Leikert is one of only two seniors on the team along with sprinter Matthew Hewson.

Overall, the team is laden with youth, with 19 freshmen and 15 sophomores that make a majority of the 40 man roster. The Saints will be led for the 14th season by coach Dave Wood, who, while at Aquinas, has compiled 20 WHAC Championships between indoor and outdoor seasons.

With a young team, the Saints will have to run hard to win the conference title, especially since Indiana Tech is looking to continue their success at the WHAC level. The Saints’ schedule consists mostly of weekend meets, all leading up to the WHAC championships held in Grand Rapids, and eventually the NAIA Outdoor Championships in Edwardsville, Illinois.

However, for now the team’s main focus is on the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, and taking the season one meet at a time.

“We look past where we stand going into a race or competition, and run our best for the team,” said freshman Dustin Heiler. “This has been a great factor for our success in the past few seasons.”