SE: K-State Track and Field’s Smith, Schultz Share Worry-Free Mindset Heading into NCAA Indoor Championships
Mar 07, 2018 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
On paper, K-State track and field's Nina Schultz and Terrell Smith are very different.
Schultz is a multi-event sophomore from Canada. The two-time All-American will make her second career appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships on Friday in College Station, Texas, where she will compete in the pentathlon and long jump.
Smith is a senior sprinter from Mississippi. He's been to two NCAA Outdoor Championships as a Wildcat, but he will run the 200-meter dash at the national indoor meet for the first time in his career on Friday.
What the two Wildcats do have in common, however, is a stress-free mindset that they both believe has allowed them to reach the pinnacle meet for collegiate track and field.
"When I go into a race, I don't stress about what the outcome will be or who is in the race. If I focus on that, then I'm not able to run my race," Smith said. "Track is a very individual sport for a reason. If I worry about how the next person runs, then I won't run my best. I find it more ideal that way, so that when I'm running I won't be tensed up or have too much in my mind. I can just enjoy the moment that I'm in. That's usually when I run my best races."
Schultz approached last year's NCAA Indoor Championships the same way, and it helped her finish third in the pentathlon. She said she feels like that experience should help ease any nerves this time around, but she admitted that going into the meet ranked first in the country in the pentathlon naturally places some expectations to do better.
"I feel like I've been a little more nervous recently because I'm ranked higher and I know I have a chance to place better. So going in, I'm going to try to not think about that," Schultz said. "I know I always perform better when I just go out there and compete and not worry about results, really. That's my goal again this year."
Smith and Schultz can each take a little extra pride in making it to the NCAA Indoor Championships this year for a few reasons.
For starters, only the top 16 athletes in each event are accepted to the meet, as opposed to 24 for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. For each Wildcat, getting there also required significant improvement in one way or another.
Schultz has set a new personal best in four of her five events this season, helping her record a pentathlon score of 4,502 that ranks seventh all-time in NCAA history and sixth in the world this year. Her top long jump mark this season (6.39m/20-11.75) ranks 11th nationally and is more than a foot farther than her best indoor leap last season.
"I definitely have gotten a lot stronger this year," Schultz said, also crediting an adjustment coaches had her make after she faulted three times in long jump at a meet earlier this season. "Basically in my approach, we realized that my positioning wasn't right. I was leaning a bit too far forward, so I wasn't getting in a good angle for takeoff. Once I adjusted just a little bit, it pretty much solved everything."
Smith broke his school record in the 200 with a time of 20.86 at the Texas Tech Shootout. His national qualifying time of 20.65, ran on K-State's 200-meter flat track at Ahearn Field House, ranks 12th in the country.
"I believe it has been a stepping-stone every year," Smith said, guaranteed at least Second Team All-America honors this weekend. "I've been continuously getting better every year."
The goal is to continue that improvement on a national stage. To do so, they both agreed, will require an inward focus.
"I think focusing on yourself is the best way to improve," Schultz said, "and that's obviously the goal, to go out there and improve on what you've done previously."
"I'm walking into an atmosphere that I'm not going to stress. I'm not going worry about things," Smith added. "I'm just going to enjoy the experience. And if I do well, then that's wonderful. If I don't, then at least I made it this far. At least I progressed in my times and was able to make it here in my final year."
On paper, K-State track and field's Nina Schultz and Terrell Smith are very different.
Schultz is a multi-event sophomore from Canada. The two-time All-American will make her second career appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships on Friday in College Station, Texas, where she will compete in the pentathlon and long jump.
Smith is a senior sprinter from Mississippi. He's been to two NCAA Outdoor Championships as a Wildcat, but he will run the 200-meter dash at the national indoor meet for the first time in his career on Friday.
What the two Wildcats do have in common, however, is a stress-free mindset that they both believe has allowed them to reach the pinnacle meet for collegiate track and field.
"When I go into a race, I don't stress about what the outcome will be or who is in the race. If I focus on that, then I'm not able to run my race," Smith said. "Track is a very individual sport for a reason. If I worry about how the next person runs, then I won't run my best. I find it more ideal that way, so that when I'm running I won't be tensed up or have too much in my mind. I can just enjoy the moment that I'm in. That's usually when I run my best races."
Schultz approached last year's NCAA Indoor Championships the same way, and it helped her finish third in the pentathlon. She said she feels like that experience should help ease any nerves this time around, but she admitted that going into the meet ranked first in the country in the pentathlon naturally places some expectations to do better.
"I feel like I've been a little more nervous recently because I'm ranked higher and I know I have a chance to place better. So going in, I'm going to try to not think about that," Schultz said. "I know I always perform better when I just go out there and compete and not worry about results, really. That's my goal again this year."
Smith and Schultz can each take a little extra pride in making it to the NCAA Indoor Championships this year for a few reasons.
For starters, only the top 16 athletes in each event are accepted to the meet, as opposed to 24 for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. For each Wildcat, getting there also required significant improvement in one way or another.
Schultz has set a new personal best in four of her five events this season, helping her record a pentathlon score of 4,502 that ranks seventh all-time in NCAA history and sixth in the world this year. Her top long jump mark this season (6.39m/20-11.75) ranks 11th nationally and is more than a foot farther than her best indoor leap last season.
"I definitely have gotten a lot stronger this year," Schultz said, also crediting an adjustment coaches had her make after she faulted three times in long jump at a meet earlier this season. "Basically in my approach, we realized that my positioning wasn't right. I was leaning a bit too far forward, so I wasn't getting in a good angle for takeoff. Once I adjusted just a little bit, it pretty much solved everything."
Smith broke his school record in the 200 with a time of 20.86 at the Texas Tech Shootout. His national qualifying time of 20.65, ran on K-State's 200-meter flat track at Ahearn Field House, ranks 12th in the country.
"I believe it has been a stepping-stone every year," Smith said, guaranteed at least Second Team All-America honors this weekend. "I've been continuously getting better every year."
The goal is to continue that improvement on a national stage. To do so, they both agreed, will require an inward focus.
"I think focusing on yourself is the best way to improve," Schultz said, "and that's obviously the goal, to go out there and improve on what you've done previously."
"I'm walking into an atmosphere that I'm not going to stress. I'm not going worry about things," Smith added. "I'm just going to enjoy the experience. And if I do well, then that's wonderful. If I don't, then at least I made it this far. At least I progressed in my times and was able to make it here in my final year."
Players Mentioned
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
K-State Track and Field | Tyson Invitational Recap
Wednesday, February 18
K-State Track & Field | DeLoss Dodds Invitational Recap
Wednesday, February 04
K-State Track & Field | Thane Baker Invitational Recap
Monday, January 19
K-State Track & Field | Uniform Reveal
Tuesday, November 11
