With the conclusion of the indoor track season, the Storm opened up the outdoor season with a meet in Dubuque against Loras on March 28.

The Storm had a good outing, placing second in the team standings with 184 points, behind only the Duhawks, who scored 268.

Senior Dylan Kalinay continued his fast pace from the indoor season adding three wins to his career in the 100 meter sprint, 110 meter hurdles and as the starter for the 4×100 meter relay team.

The relay team posted the sixth fastest time in school history in winning the relay and the seventh best time in Division III currently.

Freshman Emily Buchheit won the 1500 meters to lead the women’s track and field team.

With the outdoor season now underway, athletes are adjusting as races get longer and different events are added. The 60 meter dash becomes the 100 meter dash, the hurdles go from 60 to 110 meters and field events like the javelin, discus and hammer throw are added.

Kalinay said his biggest adjustment is knowing how the races are becoming longer and how each event is different from the indoor season. He said the training for outdoor meets takes some getting used to.

“Being able to go outside now allows us to do harder workouts,” Kalinay said. “We can do longer distance stuff outside, whereas we’re more limited inside of Cowles or Hopper.”

Kalinay said the outdoor season is better simply because it’s outdoors, and everyone gets to enjoy the nicer weather, even with the unpredictable nature of Iowa’s spring season.

It will take some time to get adjusted to the outdoor season, but being able to practice outside and having an outdoor meet under their belt helps the team tremendously.

“Not everyone is feeling in tip-top shape yet, but actually being able to practice outside on a track instead of the hard surface in Cowles is really nice for race simulation purposes,” said Kalinay.

Kalinay said this year has been a big positive for the whole team.

“Not everyone started off where they were last year,” Kalinay said. “But everyone’s expectations this year are so much higher. Everyone has raised the bar for themselves. Times that were good last year are not so good anymore.”

Head coach Dave Cleveland said it was an odd meet time because of Easter weekend but a good opportunity for the team to get some outdoor experience.

“We always try to find a meet to go to midweek, so everyone can get home for Easter and spend some time with family,” Cleveland said. “Having a chance to compete for the first time in nearly a month and shake the rust off is important.”

Cleveland said the biggest adjustment to the outdoor season is getting used to running outside.

“You just have to be flexible with your training and try to be as patient as you can,” Cleveland said. “Eventually things turn around, and we’ll see the results with faster times.”

Cleveland said these first two meets don’t really hold any stock; it’s more about getting people in different events and giving them other opportunities.

The Storm most recently attended the Cornell Invitational in Pella on Thursday, April 5, to continue their success on the track.