March 24, 2016
Track newbie has 800 reasons to smile
DVC freshman runner Geoffrey Weseman grew up playing baseball, but also has a gift of endurance.
Which explains his cross country, track and field and baseball triple as a senior at West High in Tracy.
Today, Weseman is a standout 800-meter runner at DVC. He is ranked eighth in Northern California and in the top 15 in the state with a best time of 1 minute, 55.29 seconds.
Not bad for a guy in his first full year of track and field.
"I'm having loads of fun with this team," Weseman said. "I love it out here."
At West, Weseman competed in an abbreviated track season last spring, joining the team after his baseball season ended – a tricky two-step considering the sports run concurrently.
So the former outfielder doesn't have many two-lappers under his belt.
But DVC track coach Kyle Whitmore sees an impressive work in progress in the good-natured 6-foot-2 runner.
"It's clear he's a state-meet caliber runner," Whitmore said. "And if you compete at the state meet as an individual in California, then you have a chance to matriculate to the next level."
Weseman is following in the footsteps of DVC star Antwuin Prowes, a redshirt this season who finished a close second in the state 800 last year, in a time of 1:52.76.
A former West cross country standout, Weseman expects to face an elite 800 field at the American River meet on Saturday.
"He just needs races," Whitmore said. "He needs races to go good and bad to grow and mature in the sport."
Of his goals, Weseman modestly said he wants to keep improving.
"Technically, it's my first full year of track, and I'm just trying to get as good as I can get," he said.
-- Matt Schwab