MONMOUTH, IL -- The Monmouth College track and field program has become the dominant power in the Midwest Conference in recent years, sweeping the team titles the last two seasons, and the Fighting Scots are favored to repeat again this weekend at the 1998 MWC Indoor Track Championships. Conference meet competition is scheduled to begin on Friday at 4:00 PM and continue on Saturday at 10:00 AM in the Fleming Fieldhouse at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.

Last year marked the second consecutive season the Monmouth men and women captured both indoor track and field titles and continued the Scots' recent winning streak. Counting last spring's dual outdoor titles, Monmouth has won three straight indoor and six straight men's team trophies (1995-96-97) and the women have won four MWC titles in a row (1996 and 1997).

Monmouth won the 1997 women's division by a 139-106 margin over runner-up Grinnell with Carroll finishing third. The Fighting Scots are favored again but are expected to field challenges from North Division teams Lawrence and Carroll for the championship. The men's meet saw Monmouth finish with a flourish on Saturday and survive a scare from Carroll by a 154-135 count. Grinnell and Carroll are predicted to be the Scots' main rivals for the trophy this season.

As usual the Monmouth sprint and hurdle group will be a force on the track. Senior Heather Furrow (Kirkwood,IL/Yorkwood), who has won a women's school-record 11 indoor titles and is an automatic NCAA qualifier in the 400 meters (:57.37), duplicated her 200/400 double victory last year and is also slated to run the 55-meter dash, an event she won as a sophomore. Her stiffest competition in the short sprints will likely come from teammates Stacy Brown (Barrington,IL/Lake Zurich) and Constance Jackson (Peoria, IL/Woodruff). Brown set a new school record and qualified provisionally for the NCAAs with her league-best 55m time (:07.35) two weeks ago and Jackson has the best seed time in the 200 at :26.33. Junior Stephanie Owen (Abingdon,IL/HS) has the fastest seed time in the women's 200-meter hurdles and is looking to improve upon last year's runner-up finish.

 Sophomore Brian Houzenga (Fulton,IL/HS) and senior Dennis Staggs (Farmington,IL/ HS) lead a talented group in the men's sprint races. Houzenga streaked to an MC indoor record of :21.97 in the 200 meters at an earlier meet at Iowa State this season and qualified for Nationals last week in the 400 meters with a league-best :49.51 clocking. Staggs has qualified automatically for the NCAAs in the 55-meter hurdles (:07.61) and also has the #2 performance in the 200-meter hurdles. Freshman Justin Bryant (Knoxville,IL/ HS), fresh off the Scots' divisional-champion basketball team, will race the 55 and 200 dashes and could be a factor in both events. Senior Toby Vallas (Knoxville,IL/HS) and sophomore Rich Johnson (Galesburg,IL/ HS) are seeded 5-6 in the 400 and will strengthen the Scots' 4x200 and 4x400 relays.

Junior Gretchen Vandergriff (Wolcott,IN/Greenwood) (1000m, 1997) and senior Carrie Knauer (Strawn,IL/Prairie Central) (5000m, 1995) each have won an MWC indoor championship and will attempt to add individual titles in their respective distance races. Vandergriff has the fastest seed time in the 600 meters and the #2 time in the 1500 while Knauer is ranked second at 3000 meters and third at 5000 meters. Senior Frank Schweda (Rolling Meadows,IL/HS) enters the league meet with the fastest men's performance at 1000m and second-fastest at 1500 meters, where sophomore Jamie Nelson (Monmouth, IL/HS) returns as the defending conference champion. Senior David Kimber (Dolton,IL/St. Rita) also returns for Monmouth to defend his 1997 individual title at 600 meters.

Monmouth will be well represented in the jumping events by a combination of veterans and new faces. Senior Jeromy Hogan (Virden,IL/HS) (6'6") and freshman Stephenie Schuler (El Paso,IL/HS) (5'4") each enter the conference meet with the league's best performance in the high jump, while sophomore Aaron Walker (Seneca,IL/HS) (season-best 13'0") gives the Scots their first scoring potential in the pole vault in several seasons. Sophomore Julie Larson (Oneida,IL/ROWVA) has the #2 effort in the long jump and will also compete in the triple jump with senior Jen Cameron (Bushnell,IL/B-PC). Another late-season addition to the men's squad expected to contribute to the team effort is freshman high jumper Cort Mills (Little York, IL/Yorkwood), last year's IHSA Class A state champion.

Monmouth quartets claimed victory in the women's 4x200 and men's 4x400 relays last year and are expected to field strong teams again. The Scots have posted the fastest MWC times in all four relays heading into this weekend's action.

Following the MWC championship meet Monmouth's national qualifiers will leave on Wednesday to compete in the NCAA Division III National Championships next weekend at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.