The College of DuPage track and field team competed in the Rankin/Peoehlein invitational last weekend in Lafayette, Ind. Although this year’s roster lacked quantitatively, some team members managed impressive feats.

Sophomore Rickey Owens placed fourth in the men’s 100m relay, with a time of 10.95 seconds. He was only .40 seconds away from first place. Two of the individuals who placed higher are from Purdue, a notable four-year university with an athletic program record that far supersedes our own. To have someone come from a small community college and come that close to beating someone from such a prestigious university is quite an accomplishment.

Freshman Steven Connor placed second in the Men’s 110m hurdles event with a time of 14.79 seconds, and he placed fourth in the Men’s 400 Hurdles with a time of 54.97 seconds. Both of these times qualified him for nationals in both respective events. Nationals will take place in Levelland, TX later this month.

Freshmen Alex Jasper and sophomore Paul Fina also managed to get their names on the leaderboards. Jasper came in fifth in the Men’s Long Jump with a length of 6.41m, and also placed fifth in the Men’s Javelin event with a throw of 37.19m. Fina placed fifth in the men’s discus event with a throw of 42.37m in length.

While these scores are indicative of talent and aspiration, the raw data is indicative that perhaps, as a whole, the team would be better suited in a lower division. These are the only four competitors who appeared anywhere near the top of the charts; the women’s portion of the team did not claim a single position. This can largely be attributed to the fact that our roster is small, and that we’re competing against monsters like Purdue and Louisville whose competitors are assuredly benefiting from having scholarships to draw better athletes. How could we possibly compete?.

It is true that COD’s athletic program has some hidden gems and raw talent, but the universal doctrine is that money talks. Why would an athlete of genuine talent spend his or her time competing for us without any monetary incentive? Classes are hard. Tuition is expensive, and in this cutthroat, dog-eat-dog world were all living in, most of us have little time for pleasantries that don’t have to do with accomplishing something. I don’t foresee COD handing out athletic scholarships anytime soon. There isn’t much of a draw, and it doesn’t make sense to invest in something with no expected rate of return. “For the love of the game” just doesn’t cut it anymore though, especially when the competition loves it just as much as you, and is getting paid to do so. This invitational is exemplary of this concept and the athletic committee needs to take a step back and rethink the Track and Field team’s division placement.