The frustrating thing about track and field is that you can only control how you perform. The opponent’s performance is completely out of your hands.

The Albion College men’s track and field team felt this frustration on Saturday when it fell to Calvin College in a double dual meet at the Elkin R. Isaac Track, 116.5-75.5. Albion defeated Olivet College in the day’s other dual meet, 149-37, to finish the season 5-1 in dual meets and in second place in the MIAA behind Calvin (6-0).

Albion had season-best performances in ten events and three Britons set NCAA provisional qualifying marks. But it wasn’t enough to take down the Knights, who won the dual meet for the second year in a row by the same score.

"We knew we were going to have to have a great meet," said coach Dave Egnatuk. "They’re real strong and we forced them to have a great meet.

"But we had an excellent meet. I’m really proud of how we competed. It was not a case of us folding up."

Albion still has a chance to gain a share of the league title when it hosts the MIAA championships May 4-5. Egnatuk said the Britons will need help if they are going to pull off the victory.

"We’re going to need some help from the other teams to take some points away from them (Calvin)," Egnatuk said. "They’re going to get their points. We’re going to have to perform well and hopefully being at home can help us."

According to Jason Bowman, Gaylord junior, "In order to win the league I think that we need to continue to get better—which is always one of our goals whether we win or not—and (we) also (need) to get healthy.

"We will need everyone at their best in order to win a league title."

One of the big reasons Albion was able to defeat Calvin in a dual meet two years ago—Albion’s first win over Calvin in 10 years—was that Albion had great depth in just about every event. Third- and fourth-place finishes won the meet for the Britons.

While Albion’s roster has similar depth this year, Egnatuk said a few key injuries hurt the Britons on Saturday. Anthony Dunning, St. Joseph sophomore and one of Albion’s top sprinters, didn’t compete because of a hamstring injury and Michael Nyika, Diamondale sophomore—in his first meet back from an injury—hurt his hamstring while running the 200-meter and will likely miss the league championships.

Also, many of Albion’s distance runners have been hobbled by injuries all season, which did not bode well against Calvin, which has one of the best cross country programs in the nation.

Egnatuk also said he thinks Calvin is improved this season from the past few years.

"They’re probably a little bit better of a team this year than they were a couple years ago," he said.

Which, again, will not bode well for the Britons at the league championships. But, as Egnatuk emphasized, there’s nothing the Britons can do but worry about themselves.