NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College men's track and field team looks to build off a strong opening meet of the season as it heads into the bulk of its 2021-22 schedule when the calendar moves to 2022.

St. Olaf opened its season with strong performances at the Chuck Petersen Open this past Saturday, getting a school-record performance from junior Lucas Kramarczuk in the 60-meter hurdles, as well as event wins from senior Stephen Peper in the high jump and junior Logan Bocovich in the 5,000-meter run. Those results, among other things, have third-year head coach Brian Power excited about what lies ahead.

"The indoor season has started out really well," Power said. "We've had a lot of guys put in really good work over the summer, so it has been exciting to see that. We have more than doubled the size of the sprints/jumps group and we've added some key throwers who I really think are going to help us down the road. It is exciting to see a more robust group in addition to our distance group, and I think that is going to make us more competitive at the conference and national levels."

After not being able to have an indoor season last year, last Saturday's meet was the team's first indoor meet in 644 days since the final day of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb. 29, 2020. As a result, Power has noted an elevated level of excitement to return to competition this indoor season.

"There's just been a really good vibe so far," he said. "Everyone is excited for each other and the opportunity to have a season that is back to normal. We've seen it with a lot of the fall teams having success and that creates even more enthusiasm for each other, which I think will really help us. We are also in a spot where some of these guys have never run an indoor race, so we have to remind ourselves that this is a starting point."

This season, St. Olaf will be led by Peper, who was an All-American in the high jump with a fourth-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships last May, making him the program's first All-American in the event since 1993.

"Steve is a returning All-American in the high jump and is also one of the best combined athletes in the country," Power said. "He's leading a really talented event group that was ranked in the top five in the country last year. We return everyone in that group with the addition of a couple of younger guys, so that should be exciting. They are all working hard and it will be fun to see the potential from last year translate into performance."

Kramarczuk leads a talented group of hurdlers and started his season by breaking the school record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.38 seconds last Saturday.

"Lucas was a top-22 hurdler in the country in the 110-meter hurdles last year and we expect some pretty big things from him. He's also one of the better jumpers, being in the top five in the conference in the long jump and triple jump, so he will be a good leader for a really talented hurdle group. I could see Demetri Lord and Logan Day doing some really nice things for us this year as well."

In the long sprints, senior Duncan Forbes leads the way for St. Olaf. "Duncan has been a mainstay for us the last few years and can run any sprint event well. He has looked as strong as we have seen him and has a really talented group to go around him," Power said.

With a large group of student-athletes in the multis, the Oles have a larger group of pole vaulters this year, led by junior Lars Askegaard, sophomore Rayan Elahi, and first year Dylan Arnold.

"We are really excited about the pole vault," Power commented. "When we have the multis pole vaulting at practice, it is a big group, so it is fun to look over and see the size of that group. That's really a tribute to (Interim Head Women's Track & Field Coach) Connor O'Neill and the work he has done with the combined events and pole vault. Lars and Rayan will do some good things for us this year and we are really excited about Dylan, who we think has a chance to contribute as well."

Senior Aengus White and first year Trevor Christensen lead the throwers this season. "We are excited to have Aengus fully healthy and he has looked really good in practice," Power said. "Trevor is someone we expect to do some good things as he transitions to the college weights."

In the distance and mid-distance events, St. Olaf will look to build off a highly-successful cross country season where the Oles finished 17th at the NCAA Division III Championships in Louisville in November. Seniors Reuben Kosche and Eliott Cassidy are among an experienced group in the mid-distance category.

"Obviously, we want to capitalize on the success we had in the fall with cross country," Power said. "I am really excited to see the strength of our mid-distance group where we have guys like Reuben and Eliott who can score at a really high level and run some really fast times. I think we have the ability to lead up a bunch of guys in every distance event and score. That really speaks to our depth, which was a strength in cross country, and there are some guys who are excited to run some shorter distances."

After heading to The Opener at the University of St. Thomas on Friday, St. Olaf returns to action in 2022 by hosting the Ole Opener on Friday, Jan. 14. That meet is one of three home indoor meets the Oles will host prior to the MIAC Indoor Championships in late-February. St. Olaf will also host a pair of outdoor meets in May during the lead-up to the MIAC Outdoor Championships in mid-May.

"We are going to host a lot indoors because we have one of the best facilities in the country, so we are going to take advantage of that opportunity," Power said of the team's schedule. "We are really just focusing on what is ahead of us, trying to get some fitness, and appreciating the opportunity to compete this year."

With the departure of St. Thomas, which had won all 36 contested MIAC men's indoor team titles, a first-time champion will be crowned this season. The Tommies also won 33 of the last 38 conference outdoor titles dating back to 1983. With a deep roster, St. Olaf figures to be in the mix for top-three finishes this season, but the team is not focused on that as the season gets going.

"The depth of our roster is going to be a real weapon for us," he said. "We are just excited to return to competition. There is a different feel to practices and preparation when you know you get to compete."