Bennie track and field enters 2026 season with renewed team focus

The CSB Track and Field team has kicked off its 2026 campaign with two meets already. Their first one being the CSB+SJU Alumni and Friends Meet on Jan. 24 and their most recent being the CSB+SJU Invitational where the team placed second out of four teams. Senior captain Lauren Berg, who participates in long sprints and hurdles, talks about what she is most looking forward to as this season kicks off.

“Getting the chance to compete with our team. A lot of us especially on the field and sprint side of things have been practicing since September. So it is very fun to get the team together now with the athletes from cross country now and to get to compete,” Berg said.

A reality in college athletics is realizing that your team will look different each year and Berg says this year is different from others.

“We have a really good returning chunk of people but we also have a lot freshmen this year. Especially with the first-years, they are all really motivated and excited to put in the work and compete. It’s fun to be able to train as a group and see how supportive we are,” Berg said.

A large part of all sports is the offseason training that prepares athletes for the season ahead.

“We put in a lot of hard work and a lot of hard workouts in the off-season, which definitely correlates with us in season. We all feel really confident running and running hard paces and we realize that now this is our chance to put it into action,” Berg said.

Senior Jaylyn Ahlberg, who is one of three pole vaulters on the team, talks about how her mindset and priorities have shifted coming into this season from the off-season

“It becomes a routine. The preseason is more learning, strength training and how we can get better. With the season ahead now, it’s about our preparation in the days before meets. Whether it is a sprinting day, jumping day or recovery day, it’s to get our body more ready for the next meet. It’s important to also grab takeaways after meets to become more successful going forward,” Ahlberg said.

A key piece to every team is how they support each other through all of the ups and downs of the season and this team does it in a special way.

“We all start and do a circle up. Normally a senior will talk and give sort of a motivational speech to really bring us together and remind us of why we are here. They usually express how excited we are have to opportunity to compete. [It] gives our team more of a teammate mentality, telling us that we got this and that we know what we are doing,” Ahlberg said.

After each season, many look in ways to improve in their athletic career and it was no different this offseason for Ahlberg.

“I worked on my strength and running mechanics. I didn’t grow up prioritizing running. It’s something I am working on this year and trying to keep it consistent, so I am more strong and reliable when I am running. It sets me up for the most success in the long term,” Ahlberg said.

Head coach Robin Balder-Lanoue, who is in her 29th year coaching the team, contributes greatly to the athletes by setting them up with training plans to best suit themselves.

“I do the same thing as I do in the cross country season for those athletes. Along with our assistant coaches, we create training plans that best fit the athletes to keep them happy, healthy and able to compete all season,” Balder-Lanoue said.

An important piece of creating a culture on the team is leaning on leadership from players as well as coaches. Balder-Lanoue says she has 6 strong leaders.

“Our captains are Mary Kenney, Brooke Verkinnes, Lauren Berg, Mya Nelson, Emma Schuele and Jaylyn Ahlberg. It’s fun to see them off to a great start this season. They are great role models and are willing to leave their comfort zone to be great vocal leaders, too. They are all hard workers,” Balder-Lanoue said.

Each year Balder-Lanoue says they have a new word or phrase for the season. This year’s word is Ubuntu.

“‘I am because we are’, is what it loosely translates to. After spending a week together talking about it, we asked what word would you use to describe us? We created a wordle that showed: welcoming, supportive and there for each other. The things that you want your team culture to be, competitive, driven, but it means so much more when you know your team has your back and the team culture this year has really encompassed that,” Balder-Lanoue said.

The CSB Track and Field team has its next meet, the Gopher Classic, in Minneapolis on Saturday, Feb. 7.