Nov. 19, 2007

With 22 returning letterwinners from the 2006-07 campaign, the women's track team looks to build upon the experiences and successes of last year. The youthfulness of the team leads head coach Kevin Quinn to believe that this season's squad has as much upside and potential as any team in Hawk history. By achieving their potential, these Hawks should break the string of three straight seasons without an Atlantic 10 outdoor track champion.

Senior track captain Jordan Teuber, who holds a share of two SJU records in the indoor 4x200m relay and the outdoor 4x100m relay will lead the track contingent. The most accomplished and experienced track athlete, Teuber's leadership and talent will provide SJU with valuable performances in the winter and spring.

Joining Teuber in the senior ranks are Adriene Beltz and Lauren Wallace. Beltz, who specializes in the distance events, is the cross country captain and will use her experience to guide the younger runners to success, as well as further her running goals. Wallace, a sprinter, looks to rebound from a disappointing season, in which she battled injuries throughout 2006-07.

Led by junior distance Andrea Florida, the junior and sophomore contingent shows the most promise. Florida's successes in cross country have far outweighed those on the track, but given the talent she possesses, she is poised for a breakout year.

The junior class also includes jumps specialists Natalie Miller and Lauren Slack, and hurdler Skyler Rea in addition to distance runners Amy Rhein, Juli Stensland and middle distance runners, Katie Pencek and Lauren Walsh.

The sophomore class, which includes two current SJU record holders, has the potential to propel the Hawks into the upper echelon of the Atlantic 10. Led by Nicole McMullen, the indoor 300m record holder (set at Princeton in 2006), and part of the outdoor 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay record holders, will try to best her impressive performances from a year ago.

Joining McMullen on that record-setting 4x400m relay squad was Caitlin McGrath. McGrath mainly competes in the 400m and 4x400m events and is a steady leg in both.

The sophomore class as a whole provides a solid wealth of depth in all events; with jumps by Beth Getty and Erin Vanderhoof; sprints and hurdles by Morgan Matecki, Kristen Pierce, and Cara Quinn; middle distance by Kierstin Quinn, Annie Cushing, and Caitlin Reusche, and distance events by Samantha Seitter.

The newcomers to the team look to step up and give SJU a serious boost come championship time especially in the distance events and the jumps. Cross country runners Aimee Chegwidden, Jessica Di Cicco, Laura Faller, and Christina Morelli will ply their trade in the distance events on the track while Nohjay Nimpson hopes to translate her high school championship success in the triple jump to the college ranks.

Kristin Andrews and Carolyn Bieganousky bolster the hurdling corps and Jessica Chen adds strength to the sprinting crew.

The indoor schedule for SJU brings the Hawks to some familiar haunts including the season opening meet at Lafayette, two meets at Penn State, and a local meet at Ursinus College. The team then heads to New England for two meets at Yale's Geiegengack Invitational and the Atlantic 10 Indoor Track Championship at Rhode Island. The indoor portion of the season is capped by Haverford's Keough Invitational, the NYU Fastrack meet at the Armory in New York and the ECAC Championship meet in Boston.

The outdoor schedule starts the Hawks at the Monmouth Season Opener for the second straight season followed by the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, VA. After that SJU visits two Ivy League schools traveling to Princeton's Larry Ellis Invitational and racing in the prestigious Penn Relays at Franklin Field. The Atlantic 10 Championships will be held at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst on May 3-4. The traditional season-ending ECAC meet at Princeton is scheduled for May 16-18.

The 2007-08 version of the Hawks should be an impressive display of depth and record-setting ability that should pay dividends in the Atlantic 10.