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Scots Track Remains Consistent Release Date:
January 15, 2009
MONMOUTH, Ill. —
A consistent
approach over 25 seasons has given Monmouth College track coach
Roger Haynes unparalleled success in the Midwest Conference.
When the 2009 indoor season opens this weekend, the only changes
will be in the names of the next generation of Fighting Scots
standouts.
Monmouth’s men are
riding a string of nine straight indoor league titles and eight
consecutive outdoor crowns. No other men’s team has won more titles
than the Scots during Haynes’ tenure.
The Scots’ women
have an equally impressive résumé. They have won the last seven
indoor titles and eight of the last nine outdoor championships.
Lost to graduation
is a talented group of field event specialists: pole vaulters
Jonny Henkins and Peter Sprecher claimed three national
titles between them; thrower Zach Wilson, a seven-time
conference champion; another pole vaulter – Jessica White won
five MWC titles; and four-time league winner in throws, Jenny
Babos. In order to repeat as conference champs, the Scots will
have to rely on some newcomers as well as the veterans.
“I feel in some
regards the field events are actually a little easier to fill in,”
said Haynes. “You can get stronger in the field events by virtue of
the kids becoming veterans in another event. For instance, you could
replace the missing points in the pole vault with points in the
shot. It’s a bit easier to estimate the performances in the field
events.”
Among the
throwers, sophomores Sam Cokinos (St. Charles, Ill./East) and
Peyton Lumzy (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) return to form a young but
talented base. The pair finished second and third outdoors in the
shot put last season to Wilson – with Cokinos just a quarter inch
behind the winner. Freshman Nick Hitterman (La Grange,
Ill./Lyons Township) is expected to be a new threat in the throws.
Defending MWC javelin champion Dan Higgins (Oak Lawn,
Ill./Oak Lawn) has one more season to close in on Haynes’ 26-year
old javelin record. The senior threw a career-best 194’10” – a
little more than 10’ from the record mark – to win last year’s
league crown.
Women’s throwers
Tanesha Hughes (Peoria, Ill./Woodruff), a senior, and
sophomores Gloria Lehr (Knoxville, Ill./Knoxville),
Allison Renfroe (Rockford, Ill./Boylan) and Maureen Dewan
(Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) have the veteran depth to nurture
newcomer Amanda Streeter (Port Byron, Ill./Riverdale).
Hughes, who came on strong last spring, and Lehr are returning MWC
champs in the outdoor hammer throw and indoor shot put,
respectively. Hughes and sophomore 400- and 800- runner Lindsie
Pettie (Sherrard, Ill./Sherrard) are expected to be contributors
after they wrap up their basketball season. Dewan is expected to
move up following a solid freshman year.
“Maureen would
have been a scorer for us last year if we weren’t so deep,” praised
Haynes. “Babos graduated, so we expect Maureen to move up and become
a scorer this season.”
A trio of
sophomore women will provide plenty of firepower in the jumps.
Defending indoor and outdoor triple jump champion Morgan Leffel
(Viola, Ill./Sherrard) burst onto the scene last season along
with Jae Moore (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame) and Whitney
Didier (Dixon, Ill./Dixon). Moore and Leffel had scoring times
last season in the sprints and will add versatility to the lineup.
Didier will also compete in the pole vault and intermediate hurdles.
Speaking of
versatility, senior Megan McKenna (Chicago,
Ill./Resurrection) may be the poster child for multi-event athletes.
McKenna holds conference titles in the pole vault, triple jump and
long jump and strengthens an already solid group of jumpers.
More sophomores
bolster the men’s jumps. Nick Law (Heyworth, Ill./Heyworth)
and Michael Blodgett (Appleton, Wis./North) form the veteran
base of the jumps corps to go with incoming freshman Matt Hassler
(Ladd, Ill./Spring Valley-Hall). Hassler brings solid credentials in
the high jump as last year’s IHSA Class A state champion, clearing
6’7”, and should have an immediate impact. Add sophomore pole
vaulter Brock McAnally (Crystal Lake, Ill./South), who
trained behind two national champions a year ago, and the Scots may
not be hurting in the field events after all.
“We have good
numbers and good quality in the field events,” reported Haynes.
“It’s always a matter of how they rank in the conference
scoring-wise. We feel like we’ll be OK.”
The Scots won’t
lose any ground on the track, where Haynes expects the success of
the cross country season to carry over to the distance events. While
sophomore Mary Kate Beyer (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) and
junior Katie Staab (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) have no conference
track titles to their credit, they will headline a strong women’s
distance field that ran to Monmouth’s first conference cross country
title last fall.
“Taryn Tang
(East Moline, Ill./United Township) is out for her first year of
track and had a successful cross country season,” reported Haynes of
the junior rookie. “We feel like she’ll be able to contribute on the
track, too. (Juniors) Amy Aghababian (St. Charles,
Ill./Central) and Brianna Flynn (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant
Valley) should be able to help as well.”
The men return
junior multiple conference champion Clay Staley (Hanna City,
Ill./Illini Bluffs), senior defending 800-meter winner Damon
Bautista (Silvis, Ill./United Township) and sophomore Scott
Scheller (Morton, Ill./Morton), who claimed his first cross
country all-conference honor last fall. Staley picked up individual
conference titles last year in the steeplechase, 3,000-meters and
the mile.
“We feel we have
some talented runners who will set high goals,” said Haynes who also
points to a freshman and sophomore to add more scoring punch. “Jon
Welty (Dixon, Ill./Newman Central Catholic) should run well and
Tim Bentz (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) placed well in the outdoor 800
last year. We feel like we have a number of men and women who will
do well.”
Haynes also has a
deep stable when it comes to the sprint events with no fewer than
five conference champions – not including relays – returning.
Senior six-time
All-American Luke Reschke (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) leads the
pack when it comes to the men’s sprinters. Add in classmates
Aaron Daverin (Herscher, Ill./Herscher) and Jake Stott
(Morris, Ill./Coal City) with sophomore hurdler/sprinter Logan
Hohl (Orion, Ill./Orion), and the Scots have the makings of a
formidable sprint team. Reschke, Daverin and Stott return as
conference champs in the 4x400 relay and Hohl took top honors
indoors in the 55-meter hurdles.
Sophomores
Saidu Seesay (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South), Kyle Prout
(Chillicothe, Ill./IVC) and Jared Cernansky (Sparta,
Ill./Sparta) add even more speed and options for the relays. Seesay
teamed with Staley, Bentz and the graduated Seth Leitner to
bring home first place hardware in last season’s distance medley
relay.
“We feel like
Seesay, Prout and Cernansky will give us improved performances this
season,” projected Haynes.
Senior Shannon
Turczyn (Peru, Ill./LaSalle-Peru) – a sprint hurdle specialist –
and classmate Katey Vaccarello (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine
Township) give the Scots experience in the women’s sprints. A
freshman – All-Stater Brittany Lowdermilk (Princeton,
Ill./Princeton) – will be counted on to add to the already strong
sprint corps.
“I feel like we
have versatile sprint groups that can cover a lot of events,” said
Haynes. “This holds true for both the men and the women.”
Haynes has a nice
compliment of women’s hurdlers lead by Turczyn who will be going for
a clean sweep in the MWC sprint hurdles. In her first three years,
no one has crossed the finish line ahead of her at the conference
level. She’s joined in the hurdle events by sophomore Heather
Hull (Cambridge, Ill./Cambridge). Vaccarello and Didier will
compete in the intermediates.
While Haynes is
set with the women’s hurdles, it’s not so plentiful on the men’s
side where Hohl is the lone competitor – for now. Haynes projects
developing more men’s hurdlers as the season progresses.
Freshman Kaci
Leirman (Georgetown, Ill./Georgetown-Ridge Farm) is being touted
as one to watch in the women’s sprints and high jump as is fellow
freshman Shane Reschke (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) in the men’s
long jump and sprints. Another newcomer, 400- and 800- man Logan
Weir (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville), adds even more depth,
making the Scots a serious threat again this season.
“It’s difficult to
pick a conference winner at this point,” said Haynes of the
projected league finish. “You just really don’t know exactly who the
other teams have picked up and how they’ll perform. One or two
people could have a big impact. We’re not looking that far ahead
right now. We’re just focusing on the individual improvement of our
group.”
That’s the
philosophy Haynes has used for the last 25 years and it’s served him
well – to the tune of 48 Midwest Conference team titles.
Men's
Indoor Track |
Women's Indoor Track
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