Schmidt’s college track career is soaring
HASTINGS — Cole Schmidt is really starting to get a hang of this college thing.
The Hastings College sophomore has found his mojo and it has shown for the school’s indoor track season which is a prelude to the spring campaign.
Some preview.
Schmidt has already qualified for the national indoor finals by hitting a standard in the long jump with a 23’5.5” jump and just .02 off from doing the same in the 60-meter dash thanks to his performances to date in Hastings’ first three meets.
He achieved the long jump standard on Jan. 11 at the Ward Haylett Memorial meet in Crete.
He finished fifth behind four Iowa Western runners in the 60-meter run that same meet following a second place run the week before at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
He also competes in the triple jump.
“It was a close one,” Schmidt said of the race that separated the top five runners by less than a tenth of a second. “We were all just in a straight line. I love short races like that.”
The Hartington-Newcastle alum, took some time to figure things out at the college level and now everything seems to be coming together. The events he currently competes in he also participated, and in most cases excelled, in at the prep level.
Schmidt, who recorded a long jump of 22’10” in high school, won the Class C state title in that event and got second in triple jump and the 100 and 200-meter runs.
So far, it’s been a transition of steady growth as he eased into the college level of competition.
However, last weekend at the Scott Nisely Memorial meet in Crete, Schmidt sat out the 60-meter due to a pesky groin injury.
“We decided to call it a day,” Schmidt said. “We don’t want to risk an injury so early.”
His early success this season came about how he approached the new campaign beginning in September during the preseason.
“I got in shape and got a lot stronger in the weight room – adding more strength in my legs,” Schmidt said. “I have been working on this new technique in long jump and it was just one day in mid-November where it all clicked one day.”
During the outdoor season, Schmidt will compete in both jumps he currently patricipates in as well as the 100 and 200-meter runs and the 4x100-meter relay.
Schmidt has enjoyed his experience at Hastings as he studies business administration classes while taking some community college classes in construction management.
Now it’s all about goal attainment on the track while his career is reaching its apex.
“This year I would like to, conference-wise, is to try to win long jump and place in the 60 – hopefully win it – and place in triple jump,” he said. “Nationalswise, I’d like to become an All-American.”