The last time the Hiram Terriers fielded a track and field program was during the 2008-09 season. After 14 seasons, the program will make its triumphant return beginning with an indoor season over the winter.
“There are a lot of student-athletes that are already at Hiram that might be interested in competing in track,” said Coach Dan Graber. “It also brings in new student-athletes to the school and we had some really great kids that came in for this class, so we look forward to getting things going.”
Hiram’s first indoor meet will take place when it competes in the Toy Drive Invite at the University of Mount Union on Dec. 9 in Alliance.
According to Graber, after the 2008-09 season ended, the track program was at a point where the numbers were so low that there were barely enough student-athletes for the team to function as a college program and it operated at more of a club level.
The first-year coach added that Athletic Director Scott Pohlman made a push last year to reinstate both the cross-country and track and field programs and Graber was announced as the new coach for both sports last November.
Having coached NCAA Division III programs for 15 years, Graber returned to his home State of Ohio during the pandemic after spending eight years coaching at Webster University in St. Louis.
He was hired as the head coach of cross-country and track and field to reinstate both programs at Cuyahoga Community College in 2021 and then moved onto Hiram to become the new cross country and track and field coach for Hiram College last November.
“Once we started competing in our first cross-country season there and then the Hiram job opened up, I just really fell in love with the campus when I interviewed,” the first-year coach said. “It is a nice distance from where we live and everything, so it was just the perfect fit.”
Graber acknowledged that recruiting student-athletes for the track and field program was a tall task because it required student-athletes to take a leap of faith to join a program that was starting from square one.
“People like things that are stable and established and that is the opposite of what a new program is but to get over that and get past that in the recruitment process, some kids are not willing to look at a program like that,” he added. “You must find the right kids that are looking for a challenge and the value in starting something new.
In addition to recruiting, the program also needed to build and purchase the required equipment to help Hiram prepare for its upcoming track season, such as hurdles, blocks, a discus throw ring, a shot put ring and a long jump pit.
Graber said the Terriers adopted a blue-collar attitude in getting everything they needed that would set them up for success, including building a shot put area from scratch inside of Henry Field right off of the track and also added a long jump pit as well.
He also credited Assistant Athletic Director James Schweickert, who also serves as Crestwood’s cross-countrycoach, for aiding the program as well as the alumni who donated funds to help the Terriers also purchase a pole vault and high jump pit.
As far as recruiting went, the Terriers’ program received a nice turnout for the first season, having a total of 40 to 50 student-athletes commit to joining the team.
Although the Terriers will roster a healthy number of student-athletes this season, experience will be one of their greatest hurdles with over half of the roster being made up of freshmen.
“It’s a challenge just because they are adapting to college life; freshman are figuring out how to live on their own for the first time,” Graber acknowledged. “When they were in high school, they were at high school the whole day and the whole day was planned for them and in college they must make their own decisions as far as when they are going to study, eat, and sleep. It will be cool to see them grow up over these next four years, but it will be a learning curve for them and for us having so many young kids on the team.”
Graber said he believes the Terrier women will excel in the throwing events, paced by freshmen Samantha Volpe, Chloe Cooper and Kayla Mack and the hurdles, led by freshmen Trezure Bates and Makyndree Smith.
For the boys, Graber has high hopes in the jumping events with freshmen Kyle Fillkill and Jaylen James competing in the high jump and freshman Jarvis Thompson, who was a state qualifier in the California State Track Meet last year, will lead the long jump
“I’m really excited to see where things go and think we have a lot of potential in our cross country and track and field program,” Graber said. “I am excited with the athletes that we are working with to see what they accomplish this season.”
