Mt. Pleasant’s amphibious man

MT. PLEASANT — After a winter spent in the water, it is finally time for Mt. Pleasant’s Will Davidson to dry off. The junior sprinter and hurdler is fresh off his season with the Burlington swim team and now he’s ready to make waves on land.

Davidson is coming off a season with the Grayhound swim team in which he competed on two Top-5 relays at the district meet. He’s hoping to bring in some more success back at the track for a hungry Mt. Pleasant squad.

Davidson says he prefers the land.

“I consider myself more like a frog. I’m amphibious,” Davidson said. “I could go in the water and out of the water, but I like to stay as dry as I can.”

Davidson says the swimming season helps him stay in tiptop shape for spring track. He credits water workouts with strengthening muscles throughout his body.

“I think it’s a big help, just because it’s a full-body type of workout,” Davidson said. “It helps with every muscle.”

Staying healthy and in shape is a big emphasis for Davidson this year. Although he made the state meet in a pair of relays, he had hopes to get to Des Moines in individual competition, preferably the 400-meter hurdles.

A lower-body injury kept Davidson from competing for a chance at state in his favorite events last season. The injury nagged him throughout the year and eventually kept him out of the 400 hurdles at the state qualifier.

“It started with the shins, and I just kind of blew it off,” Davidson said. “I had dealt with some of it in the past, but it wasn’t anything I was too worried about.”

Davidson says the injury got worse and worse, and it eventually sidelined him for two weeks. He was healthy enough to do relays, but not at 100 percent.

In the fall, Davidson found a new way to stay in shape. Despite being a short-distance runner, he went out for the cross-country team, which is coached by his track coach, Mitch Anderson.

“I just wanted to get some experience somewhere else, and try something new,” Davidson said. “I learned that if you really think you can do something, you can do it, it of you put the work.”

But Davidson says trying out distance was humbling. He recalled his first meet of the year, when he felt the long-distance wall for the first time.

“The first meet in Pella, I went out thinking ‘this won’t be too bad,’” Davidson said. “I hit mile two, and it set in pretty hard.”

Davidson says he and the Panther boys have a chip on their shoulder heading into the 2022 track and field season. Mt. Pleasant placed fourth in the Southeast Conference last year, and Davidson says the usual track power is motivated to prove something this spring.

The Panthers will get their first chance to do that when the outdoor season begins this weekend. Mt. Pleasant will open its outdoor year at the Steve Roth Relays in Washington on Friday night.