The Home Meet Atmosphere

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Believe it or not, the indoor track and field season is already about one-third of the way through. Jan. 16 was the first time I competed at home and two weeks later on Jan. 30. There's such a different feeling about competing at my home track. Maybe it's the fact I know the track better than any other, giving me this level of comfort. The beneficial part of having a home meet means no extra traveling and being in bed earlier, which I am all for!

The Rob and Patty Lydic Invitational at Ohio Northern was held on Jan. 16 to kick off the indoor season. I ran the 60-meter hurdles, 4x4 relay and did pole vault. Up first were the 60-meter hurdles which I had never run before in my life! The time I ran was respectable according to what my coach had to say and made my way into finals seeded with the fastest time. Once finals came around, my coach told me to just focus on pole vault. I started warmups for pole vault and felt good leading up to competition time. I jumped 11-2 which is still shy of my high school personal record, but it was my first time back in about 6 months. As pole vault finished, I had only 30 minutes until it was time to run the 4x4 relay. I was very anxious all throughout the day about the event because the 400 is brutal! I ran it pretty well, but my legs were so fatigued after. Lactic acid might be the worst thing ever. In the end, it was a good foundation for my indoor season!

Friends came to support Mia and I at the meet!
Our next home meet was the Joe Banks Invitational this past weekend! I was more excited for this meet because I didn't have to run a grueling 400 to say the least. I also loved competing back at home so early in the season because of the familiarity. I started the meet with pole vault which didn't go as planned. It's safe to say I have my work cut out for me next week in practice to fix some things. Then, I had about a three-hour break before I needed to start warming up for the 200-meter dash. I had never run the 200 open in high school, so I wasn't putting too much pressure on myself for my first time. I was relaxed warming up but the nerves started to hit 5 minutes before the race. I settled into my blocks, and off I was! Racing the 200 for the first time was very fun and I enjoyed it more than the 400 for sure! My time put me 7th overall in ONU history and 4th on the freshman list. I can't wait to climb up more spots!

Overall, I was blessed to have my friends and family at the meet supporting me and to have all this happen on my home track. See you next week!

Comments

  1. Paige BashawatyFebruary 4, 2026 at 10:06 PM

    Hi Danika! I totally agree with you, there is just something different about competing at home, and I think it's like this for most sports. I think it was you who talked about being able to sleep in your own bed and also having a good fan base there! Keep up the great work and good luck with the rest of the season!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aubrey HatteryFebruary 5, 2026 at 1:29 PM

    Hi! I love hearing about your expeirences as a college track & field athlete. I learn more about the sport and the highs and lows each time you post. I can't imagine how you run so many events and do so well in each. Congrats on your accomplishment of being 7th overall in ONU history!

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