The 2024 CAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held May 10th and 11th at the Jerry and Jeanne Robertson Track and Field Complex, brought together Elon University's departments to compete in 58 events and 1,000 athletes. We welcomed players, coaches, and staff.
Elon University's women's track and field team took second place at this year's CAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at Elon's Jerry and Gene Robertson Track and Field Complex. Jett Biermann won his second gold medal of the weekend, Piper Johns had a record-breaking performance in the 400 meters, and the Elon University track and field team took second place.
Elon University hosted the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Track and Field Championships on May 10th and 11th. The tournament was a two-day event with nearly 1,000 athletes, coaches and staff participating in up to seven venues and 58 competitions, including trials and finals. That number included the number of Elon student-athletes who had the opportunity to compete for championships at their home track.
How does Elon manage such a huge event? Mark Elliston, director of track and field and cross country, says it's an “all hands on deck” effort.
“Knowing that any championship event at Elon University will be well-run and top-notch will give our visiting teams, players and fans real peace of mind,” Elliston said. he said.
top notch preparation
Elliston said thorough preparation allows coaches to focus on the competition and have the peace of mind that other duties will be taken care of. In preparation for this championship at Elon's Jerry and Jeanne Robertson Athletics Complex, the running track surface will be repaved and repainted, and new plumbing and drainage will be installed to reduce and prevent standing water. It started a year ago.
“Hosting a conference championship is an outstanding demonstration and accomplishment of what a university can do. It takes a lot of people,” said SportsTurf Manager Michael LaPlaca. “It will take a lot of effort, but we will get it done.”
In preparation for the event, LaPlaca and her staff maintained a punch list of items large and small to ensure the equipment was ready. The list included maintaining the lawn a few weeks in advance and mowing it a few days in advance, draining and cleaning the obstacle course, and painting the lines for the javelin throw.
LaPlaca and his crew also went to an auto service to weld a pushoff board for the long jump. Why Automotive Services? “We go where the expertise is,” he says, and at Elon, Automotive Services has welding expertise.
Building a first-class championship is a matter of pride for everyone involved. “It’s a showcase for our campus for these people and their parents and their friends to come to Elon and hopefully, if not win a championship, which we hope, but walk away saying, “It’s a showcase for our campus. It was a great experience,” said Faith Shearer, Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Women's Administrator. “That's important to us.”
Shearer oversees Elon's seven athletic programs, as well as equity and inclusion efforts, gender and equity oversight, and more. She says track and field is particularly unique because it involves technical expertise in so many different events.
Demonstrating diverse talents
“One of the things I personally love about track and field is that there are so many different sports and so many different types of athletes,” Shearer said. “You've got people who throw shot put and people who throw hammers. You've got distance runners, sprinters, jumpers, kids with different physical demands, different body types, and usually all kinds of backgrounds. Track and field is about money. It doesn't matter whether you have it or not. Track is something that most people can participate in and have access to.”
Event organizers must ensure that the lines on the track are accurate, that runners are running the correct distance, that event volunteers are running the correct distance, and more throughout the event. All the right people need to be in the room to approve every detail. Understand your assigned maneuvers, such as lifting a high jump at the beginning of each new round.
“Our plan has always been that coaches just need to coach their teams on the day and not have to worry about whether the hurdles are set at the right time,” Shearer said.
“I have a lot of confidence in all of the guys who host these events. They know what they have to do and everything will go well,” said Assistant Athletic for Event Management, Facilities and Capital Projects. Director Robert Stewart says:
“There's a lot of people on this campus who are really, really good at what they do, and everyone really cares and wants to help. That plays a big role in making sure everything comes together.”
When Elon hosts visiting teams, Stewart often hears praise for the beauty and beauty of Elon's campus and aims to emulate that in his own work. “This shows that our campus takes great pride in how we present ourselves and how we look. And let's try to model that as we host events and games. That means we take pride in how we host events, championships and games that reflect the high standards of our campus,” Stewart said.
Elliston appreciates the opportunity to compete at home and provide a showcase for the local community during this free two-day event. He said a lot of effort went into making this event a success and it was great to witness it. “It has an overall positive outcome,” Elliston said.
This was the second time the team played at home this season. “We want to give our student-athletes the opportunity to play games at home. Basketball has 15 home games and baseball has about 30, but athletic fields are different,” Stewart said. he said.
For the town of Elon
While the track and field championships showcase the athletic excellence of Elon and the conference, they are also a showcase of the people who make Elon the community it is. People who recognize that our athletes, fans and coaches deserve the best. And the recognition that this is as much a community event and space as anything else.
“During the championship, we close the track to the community during preparation, set-up and during the competition, and we don’t take that lightly,” Shearer said. “We try to limit it to the bare minimum of time because we have people who come here almost every morning and do their morning run or their morning walk.”
How do we ensure a safe and efficient championship that balances the needs of our community and competitors, safety and inclusivity, and the beauty of our facilities and campus? It's about being able to take advantage of a lot of people on campus who are really, really good at what they do.