The Saint Francis men’s track and field team lost a  close battle with Wagner for third place in the 2017 Northeast Conference indoor championship in February. On the women’s side, the Red Flash placed seventh at the indoor finals.

The beginning of the outdoor season gives both teams a chance for a fresh start. For the last two weeks, the teams have focused on getting back into shape and strong enough to compete in the long outdoor season.

“I trust in Coach (Chene) Townsend’s training to make sure the athletes are fit to compete at their top level,” said Red Flash head  coach Doug Hoover. “But at the end of the day, the athletes control their own destiny.”

Saint Francis men’s outdoor track and field team is projected to finish third in the conference in preseason voting by the league’s coaches, while the women’s squad is picked to finish sixth.

“I do not really feed into all that projection points,” said captain Daniel Meyer, a junior sprinter from Somerset, Pennsylvania. “We just come out and try our best every practice.”

Red Flash sprinters coach Chene Townsend believes that the teams have a good chance of improving on their indoor season. “If they compete hard and they push each other in practice, I believe they can prove all the doubters wrong.”

Saint Francis will open the outdoor season on March 25 at the Jim Taylor Invitational in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.