This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with sophomore Bailey Gassmann from the track and field team.
I started by asking how the season’s been. “It’s been a lot of fun,” said Gassmann. “It’s been nice to have a real team this year. Last year was the first year that Asbury had a track team, and this year there have been a lot more people who’ve been more consistent.”
“The team’s been doing really well so far,” said Gassmann, expounding on the state of the team this semester. “There have been a lot more people who’ve been showing up to practices and meets. There have been some really good performances, as well. For the throws, it’s been fun to see August [Price] and Brendan [Funke] both breaking records and performing well. It’s been fun for me to be on relays with other people. Some people I’ve been consistently on relays with have been Brooke O’Carroll and Adyson Mattingly, and a lot of the sprinters as well. It’s cool to see how everybody’s very team-oriented and focused on trying to perform well for the sake of the whole team and to see our relays breaking more records.”
Next, I asked what she thought earned her the title of athlete of the week, and what that means to her. She responded, saying, “I think this came out of winning a NCCAA race on Saturday. To me, athlete of the week is definitely an honor, because I know there’s a lot of different sports going on, a lot of people have been performing well, so to be singled out is definitely cool.”
Following that, I asked about the biggest difference-makers on the team, to which Gassmann said, “There haven’t been a whole lot of returners, so all of the returners who are here definitely have a big impact. I know for the girls, August [Price], me, Brooke O’Carroll and Ava Miller, who’s currently injured, but still has a very big impact on this team. I know for the guys, Wes Preston, Luke Holton, Brendan [Funke] as well. A lot of them have a big impact on team culture.”
“Personally, my goal has been to focus on running for the glory of God,” said Gassmann when discussing her goals for the season. “I think running is something that has been mentally hard for me lately, so focusing on glorifying Him in my races and running for the right reasons is a big goal. Also, hopefully performing well. Specifically, hoping to break five minutes for a mile by the end of the year, but we’ll see… There are definitely some team goals. Growing closer and more confident as a team. It’s only, again, the second year that [the track and field team has] been a thing, so getting people more comfortable in the team environment is definitely a goal. [Another goal is] supporting each other well. It can be hard in track, especially indoor track for the distance runners and sprinters to all see what’s actually going on, so supporting each other is a big thing. And then just keep improving records and establishing track as a solid Asbury team.”
Finally, I asked if she had anything she wanted to say to the rest of the Asbury student body. “The home meet is April 11,” said Gassmann. “You should come show out!”
Photo courtesy of AU Athletics.
