Cardinals Track & Field Open Up Season at Univ of Richmond Freshman Ohene Obiri Yeboah competed in 1500 meters.

 

As with any outdoor sport, the weather is a major factor on a team's performance. This rings true for both the team's training and competitions. The better the weather, the better the performance. It's safe to say that Mother Nature has not been too kind this past winter with frigid temperatures and heavy snowfall. But through it all, the Track and Field team tries to stay diligent in their preparations. It is consistency that separates collegiate level sports from high school level.

 

Head Coach Mark Pryor enters his 10^th season at the helm and fully understands the importance the weather plays in his team's performance. That is exactly why he chose to travel down 95 South to the Univ of Richmond for his team's first meet of the 2026 outdoor Track & Field season. On Friday in Richmond, the weather was a beautiful 73 degrees sunny and warm. It actually felt like the team had traveled more than only 2.5 hours away.

 

As the athletes warmed up for their scheduled competition, the theme of the day was "learn & experience". With the team comprised of student-athletes who have never competed at a college track and field meet, it was important that they learn as much as possible and take in the experience of the event. Unlike high school, the average age of a college competitor ranges from 20-25 years old, meaning that the maturity level physically and mentally is on a higher level. For freshman athletes, this can be intimidating. It has been Coach Pryor's main goal of the season to prepare his team physically for the challenge.

 

Freshman Ohene Obiri Yeboah enjoyed a successful Fall cross country season leading the team in his performance and earning All-Region XX honors. His top 5 finish at the Region Championships was a testament to his consistency in training. Ohene has been a pleasant surprise for Coach Pryor who looked forward to his freshman outdoor track season. Unfortunately, the harsh winter caused Ohene to get sick with major congestion in his chest, preventing free and clear breathing. All of the fantastic strength gained during cross country disappeared with each week that Ohene was unable to train. So this has been a rough winter in terms of Ohene's development and physical preparations.

 

Friday's Fred Hardy Invitational offered an excellent test of Ohene's fitness level. The competition consisted of NCAA Division-I schools such as Marist College, Univ of Buffalo, Virginia Commonwealth Univ, William and Mary College, Coppin State College, American Univ, George Washinton Univ, Virginia State, Longwood Univ, Wagner College and the host school Richmond.  NCAA Division-II schools Westmont (Ca) and Virginia Union also competed along with several NCAA Division-III schools. It was exactly the event Coach Pryor hoped for in his team's season opener.  Competition against higher level schools to get a good indication of his team's training & fitness level.

 

Having never competed in a 1500-meter event (high schools run 1600m), this was a new experience for Ohene on all levels. Coach Pryor's pre-race instructions included just two words, "finish strong".  This message was carried out throughout the other teammates in their competitions.  No matter what, finish strong. 

 

Overall, the performances by Ohene and his fellow freshman Malik Manzanera (1500 meters) and Xavier Vallejo (400 meters) were promising. All of the athletes who attended the event at the Univ of Richmond gained a new understanding of how NCAA college track and field operate and the level of preparation needed. Technical areas like the meet schedule which is followed to the letter and doesn't offer time for those who are not focused and attenuative. Coach Pryor instructed his student-athletes to stand at the finish line and watch other events as they unfolded, and those athletes finished. It was an excellent learning experience.

 

The next scheduled competition for the Cardinals Outdoor T&F Team will be the Seahawk Invitational on Saturday, March 28^th at St. Mary's College of MD. The competition will consist of mostly NCAA Division-III level schools offering CCBC another aspect of preparation and experience.  The hope is that Mother Nature is kind on Saturday.