Eagles Ready For ACCs

It had been quite some time since the men's track & field team were able to suit up and compete at the New England Championships, due in large part to that event coinciding with the ACC Championships.

This year, with New Englands moved to the beginning of February, the Eagles were again able to soar against the best teams in the region, providing a rare opportunity for them to prepare for the intensity of championship meets, which they will face in full earnest when they head to Clemson for the ACC Indoor Championships this week.

"We were fortunate that they moved the New England Championships earlier," said head coach Matt Kerr. "That gave us a chance to get into that championship atmosphere…that was really a good dry run and we're hoping to learn lessons off of that and apply them to the ACCs, which is at a completely different level."

At the New Englands, the Eagles did well to make finals, score points and get on the board, as the team finished 15^th out of 24 teams, which included a third-place finish by the 4x800 meter relay team.

They know the task to score at ACCs will be much greater, but in gaining this type of experience, the Boston College athletes will be better equipped in the long run once they get to South Carolina.

"At the ACC Championships it's difficult to (score points)," Kerr explained. "It's loaded in every single event. It's been a challenge for us to get down there and score points. So, having the New England experience was important. Most importantly we want to send guys down there to compete at their best. We're just preparing them with that in mind, to get after meets like the New England Championship and find a way to fight for those points no matter what."

Besides gaining the wisdom of how to compete in these types of meets, Kerr also feels that just the overall atmosphere of New Englands can go a long way in helping his group overcome any general nerves entering ACCs.

"I think the best thing about New Englands was that it's a very challenging environment," said Kerr. "You've got really well-rounded and deep teams like UConn, Northeastern, Rhode Island. They field full teams, have strength in throws, hurdles, jumps, you name it. That environment was really-well suited to preparing for them to ACCs. It challenged them, and I think it woke them up."

With the optimism of what the New England Championships has done to set his team up for the ACCs, Kerr was reminded about what Athletic Director Martin Jarmond said when he came to the university last summer, and how it relates to this particular set of circumstances for his group.

"(He) talked to us about learning to win at a level that we can achieve at, and then stepping it up in the years to come. Giving them a chance to take a bite out of something and learn how to win. In our sport, learn how to score points, learn how to make finals," noted Kerr.

"To get down to the ACCs and repeat that performance, step it up and accept the challenge of being an underdog program in this conference. We've got to go in and not create any excuses, but step up to the challenge and perform at our best and see what comes from it."

The ACC Indoor Championships take place at the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex from Thursday, February 22^nd through Saturday the 24^th.

Boston College Athletics

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