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SPORTS | A8
FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021
Nevada men’s and women’s basketball series canceled or rescheduled By Madeleine Chinery
Nevada Athletics
Nevada women’s cross country member Hiley Dobbs (pink) emphasizes nutrition to improve her skill set.
An in-depth look: What fuels a Nevada student-athlete? By Isaiah Burrows
Spring sports are under way for t he Nevada Wolf Pack, and two progra ms in particular are training more than ever to recover f rom a lost 2020 season. The Nevada women’s track and field team and men’s and women’s cross c ou nt r y t e a m s a r e i n the midst of a busy 2021 ca mpa ig n. Ba r r i ng a ny unforeseen setbacks, womens’ track and field will compete i n t wo i ndoor championships followed by seven meets throughout the outdoor season. The men’s and women’s cross country teams finished their first meets of t he season Fr iday, Feb. 19 and are set to compete at t he Mou nt a i n We st Cha mpionsh ips Fr iday, Ma rch 5 i n L a s Vega s, Nev. Bot h c r os s c ou nt r y t e a m s r u n mor e t h a n 1,000 m i les du r i ng t he season, whi le members of the women’s track and f ield tea m compete i n s e v er a l h i g h-i nt en s it y competitions. T hat begs t he question: What fuels a Nevada cross cou nt r y or t rack and field athlete to train at such a high level? Ta ke f i f t h-yea r st udent Hiley Dobbs for exa mple, who has logged personal bests and high place f i nishes w it h t he Nev ada women’s cross country team since 2016. Nutrition has remained a key component in sustaining her performance. “I wou ld n’t be able to sustain any thing if it wasn’t for how I fuel my b od y,” s he s a id . “O u r diets play into our endurance across t he season. It’s not getting t hrough that one run or workout, fueling yourself each day propels your recovery.” Dobbs isn’t a lone in her focus on properly fueling her body in order to maximize her skill set. Eating nutritious mea ls at certain times is a common t heme for cer ta i n members of the track and f ield a nd cross count r y sports at Nevada. ‘It keeps me going throughout my training’ E at i ng b e f or e e a c h meet, workouts, events or training sessions are a helpf u l technique for certain Nevada studentat h lete s. Ky le E l i a s, a freshman and men’s cross countr y member, makes sure to eat lighter meals and foods beforehand for sustained energy. “ It k e e p s m e g oing throughout my training,” Elias said. “I’ve been into somet hi ng l i ke a bagel and cream cheese lately t hat’s quick and easy. I like going lighter because
it keeps me on my toes a bit more, that’s why I eat so close to my training. ” Complex c a rbohydrates remain front and center before any physical exercise to help maximize the body’s use of glycogen before short-andhigh intensity workouts. Endurance is just one of t he ma ny requirements needed from a track and field or cross country athlete, and carbs are a beneficial source to sustain energy. During her tenure at Nevada, Dobbs has found a liking for meals before a run or training session. A staple of hers is a “supercharged” bowl of oatmeal loaded with protein powder, hemp, chia and f la x seeds to power her through the day. “Oats are a great thing for me before my runs or workouts,” she sa id. “It settles well with me. I’ll add some protein powder to it for more high endura nce workout s for t he day, or even mix in chocolate chips, hemp, chia and f lax seeds. It’s supercharged for me through those sessions.” Heading into her senior year on the Nevada women’s track and field team, five-time All-American winner Nicola Ader has incorporated recipes from her home country of Affolterbach, Germany. A de r ’s pr e -w or k out food s i nclude a heav y dose of c a rbohyd r ates a nd vegetables to help add to her decorated Wolf Pack career. “I grew up having lots of nut r it ious food back home f rom my g r a ndmother and that’s stayed with me,” she said. “I’ve i nc or p or at e d s ome of t hose recipes to ma ke sure I eat things like rice, p ot a t o e s , q u i no a a nd pasta all with vegetables before events. Those were staples for me.” ‘Recovery is everything’ After a heav y amount of physica l act iv it y, recover y is crucia l w it h a bev y of nutritious meals to choose f rom high in protei n. Dobbs pra ises the university for its postworkout protein shakes. She aims for more protein through eggs and cheese i n h e r p o s t- w o r k o u t meals. “G et t i ng t hose protein shakes in for me is a great resource t he university offers to us,” she said. “Recovery is everything, so I’ll get home and ma ke some sc r a mble d eggs with cheese and veggies, which are one of my favorite easy sources of protein.” As a f irst-year college student, Elias is adjusting to his new surrou nd i ngs. T hat t ra nslates to his meals, where he uses T he Wol f Den, student dining facility at the University of Nevada,
Reno to his advantage. Following a training session, Elias gets his necessary caloric intake through a variety of proteins and vegetables. “That place is k ind of like my hub,” he said. “I try to use it to my advantage right now to get those veggies and proteins in after my sessions … I just try to get in as many calories as I ca n t here t hrough different meats and stuff. It’s somet hing new, and it’s been going well.” Ader applies the same approach to her diet after workouts, aiming for substantial proteins and fats during and after events. “After weights I tr y to get something more substantial,” Ader said. “Getting protein and fats will benefit my recover y. I tr y to plan those things up and eat.” ‘It’s a balance’ Ma inta ining your physica l hea lt h t h roug h nutrition takes dedication and discipline. Life takes place out side of spor t s, and student-athletes must balance their eating habit s w it h jobs, cla ss a nd other activities or responsibilities. Dobbs takes the time to prepare her meals t hroug hout t he week i n order to su st a i n her healthy lifestyle. “I’ve lea r ned it ta kes discipline to plan my meals before I’m hungry,” Dobbs said. “The will to cook and prepare nutritious mea ls for my workouts isn’t there when I’m hungr y. I want t hat i mmediate sat isfaction, so being prepared is key for me.” Ader sa id she has lea r ned to l isten to her body, and the results will follow. “I rely on my gut i nst i nct more t ha n a nyt hing,” Ader sa id. “It’s a balance. If you pay attention to your body and what it needs, I t hink it helps you fulfill those physical goals you want to achieve.” Rega rdless of t he circumsta nces, nut r it ion is at t he foref ront of t hei r performance. It aids and at h letes ener g y stor age before training and recover y a f ter wa rds. To be at your physical best, a bala nced nut r it iona l pa late is required. It will have a substantial role throughout the track and field and cross countr y seasons at Nevada. “I t r y to l isten to my body a lot and one of those ways is through my diet,” El ias sa id. “I t hi n k t hat goes for everyone else too.”
Is a i a h Bu r row s c a n b e re a c h e d a t i b u r r ow s @ sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @IsaiahBurrows_.
For t he p a s t t h r e e weeks, men’s and women’s ba sketba l l tea ms have postponed games due to coronav irus related concer ns on t he Nev ada side. Most of the games have been rescheduled and canceled games will be declared as “no contest”. T he delays occur red a s t he men were r idi ng a fou r ga me w i n st rea k a f ter defeat i ng riva ls UNLV and Boise State. The men’s tea m was forced to push back m at c he s a g a i n s t S a n Jose State and Colorado State. The women have canceled their contests against San Jose State, Colorado State a nd postponed t heir series versus Air Force. The men’s tea m had t r av ele d t o S a n Jo s e State for their two game series against the Spartans when it was found that one member of the group had tested positive for the virus on Feb. 12. The tea m t hen re-
turned to Reno and began to isolate themselves. On the women’s team, a fa lse posit ive f rom a r a pid t e s t c au s e d t he delay against Air Force. Due to the testing protocol fol lowed by Nevada At h let ic s, a seconda r y PCR test was conducted which ca me back negat ive. Nevada was or ig ina l ly scheduled to play the Falcons in December 2020 but postponed until 2021 due to positive cases on the Falcons team. A previously scheduled ma ke-up ga me aga i nst San Jose State on March 3 has also been canceled because of positive test results on t he Spartans side. Nev ada w i l l play Colorado State on March 5 a nd t he women w i l l now travel to Air Force on March 3 and 4. Games that were origin a l l y p o s t p one d wer e likely canceled because of the limited time before t he conference championship tournament. After two rounds of negative test results, the Wolf Pack t r avele d to Ut a h
State on Feb. 26 and Feb. 28 marking the men’s first game in 19 days. The men lost both games to the Aggies, fa lling short 75-72 and 87-66 respectively. The women’s team returned to action w it h a strong 63-40 win against Utah State on Feb. 24 and went on to sweep the Aggies in a 73-60 victory on Feb. 25. In November, the women’s team had to cancel t heir f irst match of t he season against San Francisco because of contact t r ac i ng protocol s. T he ga me was not rescheduled. T h e Mou nt a i n We s t Conference women’s bask e t b a l l c h a m pi on s h i p will be held on March 7-10 in Las Vegas followed by the men’s championship from March 10-13. T he at h let ic depa r tment has not disclosed the identities or number of positive cases among the basketball teams. Madeleine Chinery can be reached at mchinery@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @mchinery6.
Nevada Athletics Student-athletes and staff on postponed and regularly scheduled sports teams undergo weekly testing and follow guidelines to ensure safety.
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