Seniors Alec Thibodeaux (Mount Sidney, Va./Fort Defiance) and Tyler Denlinger (Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) each put in impressive performances at this past weekend’s ODAC Championships in Salem, Va. With the feat, the two have notched a spot this week as Co-Royals Athlete of the Week.
Thibodeaux handily took first place in the 3000m, setting a meet record in claiming the ODAC title. He claimed a time of 8:40.89, which was a full four seconds better than the previous meet record and nearly nine seconds ahead of the second-place finisher in the race. He also earned All-ODAC Third Team honors in the 5000m, breaking his own EMU record in 15:23.83.
Denlinger won two All-ODAC Second Team spots in his individual races. He finished with a time of 1:56.86 in the 800m, just 0.30 behind the first-place finisher. In the mile, he broke the school record with a time of 4:19.08, and also broke the meet record, along with the first-place finisher. He also won gold with the 4×400 relay team.
Denlinger felt much more confident after his stellar performances.
“Overall this meet was a great success for me,” he said. “Up until this weekend, I had been slightly disappointed with how my season had been going. I feel that this past Sunday gave a glimpse into what I am capable of, and that energizes me.”
“To me, winning is one of the most enjoyable things in track and field,” said Thibodeaux. “To be able to say that you were better than everyone on that day is special and when that comes at the conference meet, it is even sweeter.”
With the indoor season coming to a close and the outdoor season soon ahead, both Denlinger and Thibodeaux feel that the energy built at the ODAC Indoor Championships will help springboard their outdoor seasons.
“I am riding a lot of momentum right now which is one of the most important things in a sport like this,” Thibodeaux said. “The outdoor season is the time to translate the momentum and fitness gains into huge breakthrough performances.”
Denlinger also puts a lot of stock into the emotional momentum that having big performances can have on a runner.
“Physical momentum and emotional momentum can carry equal weight in the life of a runner,” he explained. “So I recognized how huge this weekend was in giving me the confidence to succeed.”
The two will compete in the Tufts Final Qualifying Meet this weekend in Medford, Massachusetts.
“In a last chance meet this weekend we will attempt to qualify a relay for nationals, and I feel confident that we can do it,” Denlinger said. “The pieces all seem to be sliding into place at the right time.”
After the records broken and the races won over the weekend, on top of a strong season, these two have made lasting impressions in the record books.