Weston, Mass-- The Regis College Track and Field team has grown positively over the past few seasons.  This growth can be seen by athletes competing in new events. This is the first season in which the Pride will compete in the shot-put.  The Pride is led by the duo of Bobby Ryan (Reading, Mass./Reading) and Nathan Fagundo (Newton, Mass./Boston Trinity Academy). Competing in his second season with the squad Fagundo is a senior that brings knowledge and experience to the team. Ryan is a freshman that has brought both his passion and competitive personality to the Pride in hopes of being the best at his event.

Having trained hard all season, Fagundo and Ryan base their workouts on explosion and technique.  A standard workout includes squats, more squats, and technique training.  “Gliding” is a technique in which an athlete uses a linear motion to propel the ball though the throwing circle. This is the main technique both athletes have been working on throughout the season. An improvement in the technique will allow the Pride to see gains at the competitions. Fagundo enjoys competing in the shot-put at meets because of the tangible results, “you can see your improvements in just one (put) compared to other sports where you have to wait a whole season just to see an improvement.” Fagundo’s hard work and determination have started to pay off, having seen an increase in distance at meets.  This is his first season competing in the shot put, and has had to learn the technique rather quickly.

Ryan is a fierce competitor; he thrives on the competitiveness of college shot-put. Transitioning from the high school level to college has not been a huge challenge for Ryan.  He has lost some distance on in his initial throws but has been steadily improving over the season.  One of the major differences between high school and college throwing is the level at which the athletes compete. In high school there are fewer athletes and the competition can be less than the 62 that traditionally compete at a NCAA shot-put event. At the college level everyone is competing for one goal to be number one. This drive to be number one is what motivates Ryan, “Everyone wants to come out on top and be number one, or at least in the top ten.”  With this said the Pride have set the goals of improving at each meet and staying competitive.  This positive outlook should give them the opportunity to be successful this season.