By Cristian Reyna<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After setting yet another track record this season, Hood College junior Jamel Mins reached another milestone in his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clocking a time of 6.97 seconds in the 60-meter dash at this year’s MAC finals, Mins took gold in the event. He also earned two bronze medals in the 200-meter relay and 400-meter relay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had a lot of momentum going into that meet,\u201d Mins said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Channeling his focus on the details that matter, Mins wanted to make sure his block starts were crisp going into the weekend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy preparation for MACs was really focusing on my block starts and light endurance work,\u201d he said. \u201cI was really focusing on my block start because my block start is the worst part of my race.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paying attention to the details made a difference. In the beginning of February, at the Plex shootout, Mins ran a 7.03 60-meter dash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur goal was for me to get out the blocks before everyone else and when I did that, I knew I wasn\u2019t losing,\u201d Mins said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By being first out the blocks, Mins was able to rely on his preparation and training to take him the rest of the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnce I was able to see that, the race was really mine to keep,\u201d Mins said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He raced alongside runners from Misericordia, DeSales, Eastern, Alvernia, Stevenson and Lebanon Valley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before the final race at the MAC championships, Mins had to qualify for preliminaries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the prelims, Mins ran 6.99 seconds, which placed him second behind Desales\u2019 Kyle Dunbar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can\u2019t lie, I was a little bit nervous, but as soon as I got on the line it all went away,\u201d Mins said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout Mins\u2019 career, he has marked his name in Hood history, but he said the experience at this year\u2019s finals is something he will never forget.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"