The annual Kim Duyst Invitational, hosted by CSU Stanislaus, welcomed the public to watch several colleges’ track & field teams go head-to-head at the Warrior Stadium. At noon on Friday, Stan State’s Track & Field recognized their 7 seniors in a Senior Day ceremony at the Al Brenda Track.
The 7 commemorated seniors of the Track & Field program were Isabel Arrizano, Caitlyn Bell, Najwa Chouati, Ero Doce, Jose Garcia, Jason Lindsay and Shaylynn Wynn.
The seniors were confronted with a unique obstacle as they started their collegiate Track & Field careers four years ago.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and sudden lockdown disrupted the athletes’ practice, limiting their access to training facilities, competitions, athletic staff and other resources. While simultaneously adapting to the challenges of remote learning as students, the athletes also had to overcome the new obstacles of remote training.
“It definitely threw a wrench in everything,” said Jason Lindsay (Criminal Justice, Senior, hammer throw) about his freshman year. “We got started, and then everything was over – done – everything went dark until a year or two later.”
Lindsay explained that not having the ability to play sports during the pandemic was a new change for him. Instead, he could only focus on academics.
“I’m so used to [them] working in tandem with each other. Not having sports and just focusing on academics – it’s quite strange,” Lindsay said.
Lindsay shared that during the course of the pandemic, he took part in a few competitions while attending Fresno City College. It was difficult for him to make the choice to continue Track & Field at Stan State since he felt he had little experience.
“Training starting, and then stopping, and then coming back into it again was definitely difficult, but I feel a lot of us have come back in full strength,” Lindsay said.
According to Lindsay, his proudest Track & Field achievement was winning Conference USA during his first year at Stan State, in spite of not having an event coach for a whole semester.
For Isabel Arrizano (Creative Media, Senior, sprints and relays), she is most proud of the improvement she saw in her times while at Stan State, despite enduring chronic knee pain.
“I’m proud of myself every day for just getting up and doing it,” Arrizano said.
Arrizano added that in addition to the team dynamic, what she likes about Track & Field at Stan State is the preparation she feels for races that she previously dreaded. She credits her coach, Troy A. Johnson, for aiding in her improvement.
“I always feel like I have the stamina to complete races,” Arrizano said. “It helps me with my confidence as an athlete.”
Head men and women’s Track & Field coach Troy A. Johnson expressed pride for his seniors.
“I like the progress that we’ve had with our seniors,” he said. “They’ve done a great job of representing the program well in all capacities of being a student and an athlete.”
Coach Johnson mentioned that some have even reached All-American status as track athletes, an honor bestowed on the best amateur athletes at secondary and collegiate school levels.
Johnson shared his plans and expectations for Warrior Track & Field incomers, which included building a culture of competitiveness and encouraging great character, attitude, work ethic, and academic performance.
“My approach is always to work within the athlete, but you have to challenge them,” Johnson added. “Part of it is them getting comfortable not being comfortable.”
