With the new semester starting, the College of DuPage (COD) track and field indoor season has sprinted straight into action. The new season officially began on Jan. 24 with student-athletes promptly participating, preparing and competing for what the team hopes is another national championship.
The COD’s track and field team has been consistently successful, proven by the men’s and women’s squads winning 11 national championships from 2021 to 2025. The Chaps had a strong start to the 2025-26 season with nine student-athletes qualifying for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Outdoor National Championships. The NJCAA provides student-athletes at two-year colleges with structured athletic programs and guidance to develop skills and potentially transfer to four-year universities.
To prepare for the new season, runners have been committing to their usual routine. Zak Kahsen is a dedicated runner who practices year-round. He prepared for track and field by getting enough sleep, training and maintaining a healthy diet.
But for track and field student athletes, getting ready for the new season delves deeper than showing up for practices. Their preparation also has to do with motivation and the runners themselves to reach the goal of qualifying for the national championship.
A COD track and field athlete, Royce Krush, said, “I’m motivated by the improvement part of [track and field]. It motivates me that I can train hard and see the direct impact on my training, in my racing and how I do against other people.”
For Krush, his experience as a runner comes with pride. Soon after a personal injury, he was determined and able to still qualify for state last season. He considers his perseverance as one of his greatest accomplishments during track and field.
“I was proud of myself when I qualified for state again, and I didn’t expect myself to do it,” Krush said.
COD student athletes pride themselves on the effort they put into succeeding in track and field. But for them, being a student-athlete is not exclusively about winning and staying healthy. It also has to do with self-improvement and determination.
Former COD track and field athlete, Elillian Gloda, said, although he is not participating in this season of track and field due to personal scheduling issues he still appreciates the knowledge he took from last season. He occasionally shows up to practices to still be a part of the COD track and field community.
“I’m excited to see if I [can still] improve. Even though I don’t have a structured [system] with coach, I’m still following their practice.”
Gloda explains how running improves his mental state and clears his mind. He also appreciates the companionship.
“When you’re screaming at your buddies during a race to go faster, there’s just nothing else really that is like that with non-sports type of things,”Gloda said. “So I feel it’s a very unique relationship. It’s like a brotherhood.”
For other runners, motivation comes from the team and community, as well as self-improvement. Kahsen’s motivation comes from the company, he said.
“I wouldn’t be able to do this sport without my teammates and my coaches motivating me and cheering me on,” he said. “To a smaller degree, seeing myself improve and drop times as time goes on is also awesome.”
Alongside building a community, track and field athletes strive to improve their own mental health. For some, it is the feeling of their personal accomplishments while running which makes them content. For other runners, it is the sense of community.
Kahsen explained that one of his accomplishments is qualifying for nationals in steeplechase. According to Topend Sports, a steeplechase is an obstacle race, traditionally 3,000 meters, featuring 28 fixed barriers and seven water jumps.
Although competing in a steeplechase gave him immense pride, Kahsen said track and field improves his mental health in other ways.
“Running track has helped me build discipline, as well as helped me build connections to my teammates, who have helped me study for my classes as well as being genuinely great friends to me,” he said. “Overall, track has massively improved my mental health.”
When the track and field coaches were asked to be interviewed via email, they did not respond.
To learn more about the track and field’s schedule, roster and more, visit the COD Athletics official website. Their next meet is at Michigan Tech on Feb.7.
