UNC Track Builds Culture Beyond the Track

 Walking across campus, it’s hard not to notice the seasons changing. The leaves are beginning to turn, and the University of Northern Colorado track and field team is settling into a new season as well. 

This year, the Bears are taking their culture beyond the track.

They have become a familiar sight at community events, from the football game tailgates to most recently the 2026 Law Enforcement Special Olympics Torch Run.

The event brought together law enforcement, Special Olympics athletes and community members to help raise awareness and support for the Special Olympics movement. For the athletes, it was another opportunity to use something they do every day: running. 

Bobby Gallegos, a UNC officer who helped organize the Torch Run, was there to see the track team take part in the event.

“It means a great deal to have the UNC track team join law enforcement in supporting such an important cause,” Gallegos said.

The event also gave the athletes a chance to see their sport from a different perspective. For track, running is usually driven by competition. The Torch Run was not about personal bests or winning – there was no finish line to chase and no result to post.

“It’s about much more than running,” Gallegos said. “It is about inclusion, unity, friendship and showing our support for the athletes of the Special Olympics.”

The Torch Run is one example of the team becoming more involved under new head coach Nick Maas. For Maas, volunteering is another way to build the team culture he wants to create, one that extends beyond the track and into the community.

The season will eventually come down to numbers, but for now, the team is showing that being a student-athlete means more than what happens during a meet.

“The more we give back and the more we help those around us, the better we all can be,” Maas said. “If one of us wins, we all win.”