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This just in –
Fighting Scots expect track and field success this season
Release Date: January 18, 2007
MONMOUTH, Ill. — Forget
for a moment the considerable relay race accomplishments in recent
years by Monmouth College’s track teams. Looking at only individual
events, there’s a great way to judge if the Fighting Scots can be
expected to have a strong 2007 season.
Coach Roger Haynes’ men’s roster includes athletes who have won 45
Midwest Conference titles, competed in 15 events at nationals and
won three All-American honors, including one national championship.
On the women’s side, returning athletes have accumulated 13
conference titles and three national meet appearances, with one
earning All-American honors.
Put it all together, and Monmouth’s track teams figure to once again
rule the roost at the conference level. The Scots have finished
first at every league meet since the 2004 women’s outdoor
competition, sweeping all four meets in both 2005 and 2006. The
longest active winning streak belongs to the men, who have won seven
straight MWC indoor titles, dating back to 2000.
“We have good people at the top, and we’re just looking to fill in
some of the gaps behind them,” said Haynes, who is entering his 24th
year as head track coach at Monmouth. “We should be solid in every
event.”
For the indoor season, which gets underway Saturday with a meet at
Knox, Haynes said he is having his team take a two-half approach. In
Monmouth’s first three meets, which include a home date Jan. 27, the
Scots will be in a “training phase” before focusing on their
“competitive phase” at February meets at DePauw, Northern Iowa and
Anderson. That will lead them into what could very well be a
“championship phase” at the Midwest Conference meet at Knox on March
2-3. Several Scots are hoping that their indoor season continues the
following weekend at the national meet in Terre Haute, Ind.
Whether it’s in distance events, sprints, hurdles, jumps or throws,
Haynes is welcoming back marquee talent. The distance group is a
good place to start, as Haynes got a sneak preview of what they can
do during the cross country season.
“The men were conference champions, and we had seven all-conference
runners, so we expect to be solid,” said Haynes.
After missing the last track season, 2005 national steeplechase
champion Zach Barr is back for his senior year. Barr, who owns 11
individual conference track titles, will be joined by another
national qualifier, three-time MWC champ Kel Bond.
That would be enough to have any coach optimistic about his chances,
but the distance talent pool runs deep and also includes senior
Darin VanNattan, juniors Aaron Etienne, Scott Heiar and Kyle
Schierer and freshmen Brad Begyn and Clay Staley, “who is training
really well right now,” according to Haynes.
Bond is likely to focus on the 800-meter run and Heiar should opt
for the longest distance (10,000 meters). The question mark for the
group is where the rest of the runners will choose to focus their
considerable talents.
The same can be said for the women’s distance group, which is also
solid and includes seniors Sara Ingersoll, Joni Nelson and Carissa
Young, junior Val Daves and freshmen Amy Aghababian, Brianna Flynn
and Katie Staab.
“The most improved runner from that group is Brianna Flynn,” said
Haynes of the former ROWVA athlete. “She’s really maintained her
fitness well from the cross country season. Her potential has
changed the most from the end of the cross country to now. She’s
gone from middle of the pack to very much among the front of the
distance group.”
When it comes to sprints, the Scots are also used to being in front,
especially seniors Dante Daniels and Tyler Rundle. The pair has
combined for eight individual track titles and five individual races
at nationals, although they are still looking for their first
All-American honors. Filling that void has been a major focus of
their training, according to Haynes.
“They’ve both taken a pretty solid approach to practice,” he said.
“The indoor season will still be important to them both, but they’ve
both tailored their training to really peak at the end of the
outdoor season.”
Daniels and Rundle will surely allow the Scots to continue their
aforementioned relay success, as will junior Brad Gross. Other
strong sprinters are sophomores Aaron Daverin and Jake Stott and
freshmen Tony Bradford and Ryan Hardman. Bradford, who competed for
Manual High School, was second in the 100-meter dash at the Peoria
Journal-Star honor roll meet, while Stott has come on strong since
his rookie season.
“Jake’s an up-and-comer,” said Haynes. “He’s done a tremendous
amount of work in the weight room. He ran 50.2 in the 400 last year,
which is good, but he doesn’t look or run like the same athlete from
a year ago.”
When the basketball season ends, brothers Josh and Luke Reschke
should have a major impact on the sprints, both individually and on
relays.
On the women’s side, Haynes welcomes back junior Brenda Herrera
after a one-year absence, and she hopes to regain the form that saw
her win four MWC sprint titles in her first two seasons. Senior Kila
Cox also owns a conference crown, and Shannon Turczyn won two before
capping her freshman season with a fifth-place All-American finish
in the 100-meter hurdles. She heads a strong hurdle group that also
includes senior Lindsay Ditzler and sophomores Katey Vaccarello and
Ashley Widdop. Senior Jacquie Ouart can be counted on to strengthen
the Scots’ relay teams.
The men’s hurdle group includes conference champion Brandon Hurckes,
as well as Gross, junior Tim Meredith, sophomore Nick Long and
freshman DeMarkco Butler.
So the Fighting Scots have the whole “track” thing covered. But what
about “field?” Quite simply, the beat goes on.
Leading the way among the jumpers is All-American Alex Stuart.
Despite breaking Monmouth’s 75-year-old triple jump record last
spring, Stuart was overshadowed in the event by Albert Greene, who
broke the mark first on his way to a third-place national finish.
Stuart, who settled for a seventh-place finish at nationals, also
excels in the long jump and, during the outdoor season, the javelin.
Stuart owns six individual MWC titles, and that is the number of
combined crowns for senior high jumper Tim Frank and junior pole
vaulter Peter Sprecher, who both have national meets on their
resume. Despite not winning at the league level, junior Jonny
Henkins is the lone All-American of the trio after placing fifth in
the nation in the outdoor pole vault.
Other strong jumpers are junior Chuck Lief and freshman Sean Wells.
“It’s a very solid group,” said Haynes. “They have high expectations
for the conference and national meets.”
Women’s jumpers include senior Andrea Emery, juniors Megan Clennon,
Megan McKenna and Jessica White, sophomore Erin Dagelman and
freshman April Campen. The pole vault could be an event to watch, as
Haynes called it the best event for the multi-talented McKenna “if
she puts everything together.” White holds the conference record in
the event, and Haynes said it could take 11 feet to score at the MWC
meet. In past years, that mark was always enough to win.
The elite men’s throwers make up a short list, but senior Jeff
Rebholz and junior Zach Wilson have combined to win nine MWC events.
“Jeff had the best fall of strength training that he’s ever had,”
said Haynes, who noted practice performances by both throwers have
him excited about what might lay ahead.
Two-time conference champ Jen Babos headlines the women’s throwers,
which will also include sophomore Tanesha Hughes when the basketball
season ends and Clennon when she is able to throw the javelin. The
newcomer to the group is former Knoxville High School state
qualifier Gloria Lehr.
Rounding out the track teams are seniors Ashley Gaul, Dane Justice
and Adam Rodriguez; juniors Seth Leitner, Emmanuel Minter and Wes
Wrage; sophomores Damon Bautista, Lauren Firchau, Andrew Kuebrich,
Ashly Lowdermilk and Chris Welty; and freshmen Lynsey Barnard,
Heather Jahnke, Whitney Maher, Patrick Mundschenk, Rodney Payne,
Matt Peharda, Zach Phelps, Maikenzie Stawicki and Elise Waldorf.
Men's Indoor Track
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