As Notre Dame transitions to the ACC, Irish senior jumper and captain Logan Renwick does not think his team will be behind the learning curve heading into its first indoor season in the conference.
"I think we have really high expectations going into this year," Renwick said. "We've always known we have a strong team, and now we get to go into a top-to-bottom stronger conference. We expect to come in and make an impact, and I think we have the athletes to do that."
For Renwick himself, this season's expectations will be just as high. Renwick had a breakout year as a junior, setting a personal record in the long jump, earning all-Big East honors in the long jump at the conference's outdoor championships, and advancing to the NCAA East Preliminary meet in both the long jump and triple jump for the first time in his career.
Although he failed to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing 38th in the long jump and 45th in the triple jump, Renwick said the season was still a success, and he hopes to use it as momentum heading into this winter.
In addition to his success in the sandpit, Renwick was also named a captain in the fall by his coaches.
"The coaches come together and nominate upperclassmen on the team who they've thought have come into that role," Renwick said.
As a senior, Renwick said he hopes to lead and give advice to athletes from all events, as well as his fellow jumpers.
"I've taken on that role of leader early in my career here at Notre Dame, and I've had great leaders here to grow under," Renwick said. "I feel honored and humbled to step into that role."
Renwick began his track career as a sprinter before picking up jumping. In college, Renwick has returned to the track for a few races, including this past weekend at the Blue & Gold Invitational, when he finished the 60-meter event in a personal-best 7.16 seconds. Nevertheless, he said his first love remains the jumping events.
"I'm the youngest of four, and we all did track, but everyone else was sprinters," Renwick said. "I happened to find my niche in jumping from an early age, and I've loved it ever since. It's definitely different from the conventional sense of track, but it's a very interesting aspect of the sport."
Just as he branched out from family tradition on the track, Renwick also bucked the trend when it came to choosing a college.
"I visited Penn State, Virginia, North Carolina, and Cornell, and my whole family went to Penn State, but as soon as I took my visit here, as cliché as it sounds, I knew this was where I needed to be," Renwick said. "The community that you become a part of and all of the values give you such a well-rounded college experience. I couldn't have picked a better place to spend four years."
As good as Renwick has been athletically, he has had even more success in the classroom, making Dean's List every semester of his college career. After last season, he was named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic teamand the Capital One Academic All-American Division I Track & Field/Cross Country second team.
"Both of those were a huge honor for me" Renwick said. "I take pride in being both a student and an athlete here at Notre Dame, and I think the school puts a great priority on that."
The Irish are off until Jan. 18, when they travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the Michigan Invitational.
Contact Greg Hadley at ghadley@nd.edu.
