March 3, 2008

If you asked a member of the Cal men's track and field team how he performed at this weekend's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor championships, you would probably be a little surprised by the response.

The answer wouldn't be about a new personal best or provisionally qualifying for the NCAAs, but about the team as a whole.

Competing as a single body has been a theme for a squad that has been slowly building over the course of the year.

"It kind of started with cross country. We were just stressing 'team, team, team,' before the individual," sophomore long distance runner Yosef Ghebray said. "I feel like it's kind of rolling over to the track and field team as well ... and I think we're just molding into a very special group."

The bonding process helped the men finish second at this weekend's competition. Last year at the same event the men took sixth place.

The improvement would not have been possible without unselfish acts from individual teammates like sophomore Michael Coe.