Solid leadership from the seniors led the Eagles’ indoor track team at the East Tennessee State University Niswonger Invitational event last weekend.

The two-day track and field event was capped off by a record-setting performance by senior Frederick Linton.

With a time of 48.82 seconds, Linton was able to set a new indoor track school record in the 400-meter.

“Fred is one of the most driven athletes I’ve ever coached,” head coach John Curtin said.

He added that Linton is the “heart and soul” of the team and that he pushes all of his teammates to succeed.

Linton believes that his performance helps to inspire the other athletes.

“It is an individual accomplishment, but it’s a motivational tool for the rest of the team,” he said.

He said this season differs from years past because of the team’s focus on “heart and determination.”

The Eagles are determined to succeed as a team, rather than revel in strong individual performance.

In addition to Linton, there were several other athletes that stood out in Curtin’s mind.

Sophomore Steve Dry had a strong performance in the high hurdles, which enabled him to qualify for the finals.

Freshman sprinter Jami Edwards also performed well, leaving Curtin very optimistic about her future.

“She’s going to be a really good sprinter for a long time,” he said.

Jason Campbell won his heat in the 800 meter in “a real impressive fashion,” and Charles Meade had a “great opening performance” in the mile said Curtin.

Junior Natalie Waryck finished eighth overall in the 5,000 meter with a time of 18:27.46, and sophomore Rebecca Flink finished seventh overall in the 3,000 meter with a time of 11:08.19.

In the unseeded long jump, Brad Pruente was one of several Emory freshmen that came up strong with his distance of 6.36 meters, which enabled him to come in third place.

The athletes’ performances were even more impressive considering a majority of their competition were Division I schools.

Curtin was especially impressed with the underclassmen’s effort against the D-I field.

“The younger kids handled the imposing competition,” Curtin said.

The Eagles are looking at the difficulties they experienced last year to find motivation for this season.

Both Curtin and Linton talked about how the team constantly reminds itself that it was only 1.5 points away from winning the UAA championship last season.

“We used that 1.5 point to realize that it’s a team effort, and any one person can change the outcome,” Linton said. “Even an 8th place finish can turn things around.”

This year’s team is using that motivation to set a new precedent and help each other. That mentality has made Curtin very optimistic about the group as a whole, “This is the best group across the board in a number of years.”

The Eagles indoor track team is now preparing for the Captains Invitational, hosted by Christopher Newport University next weekend.

— Contact Bobby Majoch