Ethan Bush's Consistency Leads Cardinals Early Outdoor T&F Season
Ethan Bush's Consistency Leads Cardinals Early Outdoor T&F Season
Sophomore middle distance runner performs admirably in the cold
April 6, 2024 - Fairfax, Va.
The 2024 outdoor T&F season has started but Mother Nature hasn't been to kind in the MD/DC/Va area. Head T&F Coach Mark Pryor was hoping for warmer temperatures by traveling up 95 South to Virginia, but the cold and stiff winds have made it difficult for his athletes to perform.
The team used several indoor T&F meets to gauge their training running unattached with indications looking very promising. Coach Pryor was pleased with his athlete's efforts and their fitness levels during the winter months. Highlights of the indoor season included freshman Zion Abdul-Wahid running a PB 1:05.54i for 500 meters and :50.58 for 400 meters indoors, Soph Keynaud Randolph's 2:02.40 indoor PR in the 800m and well as a 5,000m PR of 17:07.49. So the outlook for the outdoor season was high.
The season opener took the Cardinals to the Doc Jopson Invitational on March 23rd at Bridgewater College in Virginia. Rain, 40 degree cold and strong winds made it extremely difficult to run any fast times in either the sprints, middle- or long-distance events. But sophomore Ethan Bush was able to manage a 2:02.83 in the 800m run placing 8th overall. The next weekend, the team traveled up 695 to Towson University for their annual invitational. It was a chance to test themselves against a lot of the local colleges and universities in the MD area. But once again, the cold weather and strong head winds stole the headlines. Bush once again managed to run a solid race improving his time for the season running 2:02.33.
The Dalton Ebanks Invitational at George Mason University in Fairfax Va is a quality track meet attracting a gathering of NCAA Division-I schools across the east coast. This year's list of schools included UMASS-Lowell, St Joseph's Univ, The College of New Jersey , Va Military Institute, American Univ, Duquesne in Pa, VCU, Georgetown Univ, Long Island Univ, George Washington and Loyola. It was a great early season opportunity to test an athlete's fitness level and racing savvy. Hopes were high and CCBC Catonsville was ready. Unfortunately, blustery cold in the low 50's and that ever present strong wind again hampered the results. Ethan Bush along with his teammates Keynaud Randolph and new freshman Gamaliel Adejo lined up in their 800-meter heats focused and determined. Mentally, they knew they were ready. Bush again ran a season's best 2:02.26.
With a career best of 1:59.18, Ethan Bush is on pace to have another breakthrough season in the 800m event running 2:02 in his first three meets in cold weather. The hope is that when the team sees those warmer temperatures in April and May, the performances will greatly improve. Coach Pryor continues to keep his athletes focused and used the phrase "Progress over Perfection" in describing the mindset he needed his team to have this early.
The next scheduled competition for the T&F team will be this coming Saturday, April 13th at the Mid-Atlantic JUCO Invitational hosted by Howard County Community College in Columbia, MD. The highlight of the meet for the Cardinals will be an attempt to run a qualifying time in the 4x800m relay led by Ethan Bush. With the rise of a larger team, Coach Pryor has been able to put together relay teams for the Cardinals in the sprints & middle-distance events. Let's hope the weather cooperates.