Adding a women’s track and field program was a no-brainer for Fort Lewis College.
Competing in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the premier conference in Division II when it comes to running, the FLC Skyhawks were eager to develop indoor and outdoor varsity teams.
“It is a landmark moment for Fort Lewis, historic,” said FLC cross country head coach Mark Dutro, who will assume the role as head coach of the women’s track and field team. “There has never been a track program before, and it is a really big deal.”
The Skyhawks now will compete against national powers such as Adams State and Western State. Metro State, New Mexico Highlands and UC-Colorado Springs also have been strong competition in the RMAC.
FLC athletic director Gary Hunter said adding the women’s track and field team is something he has wanted to do since he first arrived at FLC three years ago.
“We had to work things through financially, but we are obviously very excited to compete in the best Division II conference in the country when it comes to track and field,” Hunter said. “I love the sport, and there is a lot of interest in Colorado and the RMAC when it comes to track. I think we can attract some real quality young ladies to compete.”
Hunter said the goal is to eventually add a men’s track and field team, too.
But, right now, facilities are the biggest question when it comes to track and field at FLC. The track around Ray Dennison Memorial Field is not suitable for hosting meets, and FLC has no indoor facility on campus large enough to support indoor track and field.
“We wouldn’t be able to host any event on this track we’ve got; it’s just horrible,” Hunter said. “What we will want to be doing in the future is mount a campaign to get artificial turf for the football and lacrosse field, a new track around it plus lighting. That’s been a goal of ours for a few years, and we will have to travel until we can get that done.”
Dutro and Hunter said the team will work closely with the community to try and get practice time at Durango High School and anywhere else they can find.
“We are going to have to come up with alternative ways to train, and we can do that,” said Dutro, the former DHS cross country and track and field coach. “Now that we have a team, we will get it done. Our track is great for training because it is a soft surface that won’t beat people up, but it will be a challenge finding jumping pits and things like that.”
Because of the facility complications, Dutro said the team’s immediate focus will be on distance runners, sprinters and throwers.
“Sprinters can run anywhere, and throwers can throw anywhere. Next year, the team will basically be the cross country team and any other athletes on campus who want to compete,” Dutro said. “We have opened the doors to anybody who maybe hasn’t made a decision to sign with any other schools yet.”
Dutro said the addition of the track and field program can help boost the cross country team, too.
“We’ve been on the radar of quality cross country runners. When they find out we don’t have track or if they get an offer from a program that does have track, then they chose them over us. This will open doors for us to have more opportunities to have potential to recruit more athletes,” he said.
As long as the Skyhawks are able to find places to train, Dutro has no concerns about the quality of meets the team will be able to attend. Adams State is building a new indoor facility and has upgraded its outdoor track. Colorado Mesa has a top-tier outdoor track, and Western State has added an indoor facility.
Becoming a varsity program also opens new doors to the Skyhawks, such as meets at the University of New Mexico.
“Being a club team, we were limited to where we could and couldn’t go, and we couldn’t go to UNM,” Dutro said. “Now we are in position as a real varsity team to go down there two or three times a year; it is exciting in that sense.”
When asked what other sports the college would like to add as varsity programs, Hunter turned to a sport the campus already has the facilities to support.
“There has been interest in adding swimming. We might consider sometime in the future adding a women’s swimming program,” Hunter said. “That would help us with our numbers, and we do have a very nice swimming pool.”
Hunter said the college will look to add some assistant coaches to help Dutro coach the track athletes. For now, Dutro is just happy to call himself a varsity track and field coach again.
“I’ve been coaching for over 20 years, and I’ve always been part of cross country and track programs. The last few years coaching without a varsity track team and just club, it was not quite to the level I would like to do,” Dutro said. “Now having a track program to get involved with, it is a big thing for me, and it obviously is a big plus to our running program.
“Hopefully it puts us in a position to be another respected program in the RMAC.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
