Women's Track Preview
January 16, 2010 12:14 PM | General
January 16, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University women’s track and field team is back with a roster of talented veterans and a tough schedule to facilitate what is sure to be an exciting year for the Mountaineers.
 |
|
| Junior Chelsea Carrier is a two-time NCAA qualifier.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
WVU returns several top competitors this season, including five All-Americans, numerous BIG EAST champions and the 2008 Mid-Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year in senior Clara Grandt.
Also returning to lead the talented squad is coach Sean Cleary, who enters his third season at the helm of the WVU track and cross country programs. After an amazing and momentous cross country season, which was highlighted by a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, Cleary is now focused on track and field, and in what he believes will be a historic season.
“I don’t want people to just look at our cross country program. I want our track and field program to be great as well. I really care about nationals in June. Some programs define themselves by what they do in cross country, and although it is awesome and I am proud of it, there is a year left to run,” the 2008 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year says. “That is the goal. We are going to take a shot at NCAAs for the first time in a long time, and there is a shot. If we can stay away from sickness and injuries and get some luck on our side, we are going to have one of the best track teams that we have ever had.”
The distance squad returns a dangerous lineup with All-Americans Marie-Louise Asselin, Keri Bland and Grandt. Grandt, a West Union, W.Va., native, joined the distinguished list of All-Americans last season after a fourth-place showing in the 10,000-meter finals (33:45.16) at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., while Bland also returns after being named the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2009 BIG EAST Indoor Championships after shattering the mile records with a time of 4:34.78.
“We are going to be in full strength for the indoor season. In distance running we are going to have Clara Grandt, Marie-Louise Asselin and Keri Bland, all BIG EAST champions,” Cleary says. “That is virtually unheard of. We will be the only team in the conference that has three individual champs in the distance. Their backups are also stellar. Without them, we would still be strong with Kaylyn Christopher, Jessica O’Connell, Sarah-Anne Brault and Ahna Lewis. We are in a good situation in the distance races.”
The Mountaineers also return a strong set of athletes in senior sprinter April Rotilio and junior hurdler and multi-event athlete Chelsea Carrier. Both expected to excel this season in their respective events after strong finishes in 2008-09. Rotilio set a school, meet and personal-best record last season with a third-place showing (54.38) in the 400-meter event at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships, while Carrier took the conference title in the 100-meter hurdles at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships as a sophomore.
“Chelsea Carrier is absolutely essential to this season. She is one of the premier hurdlers and multi-event athletes in the country. Last season, she qualified for the national championships and at the BIG EAST level, she is great. She is a junior now, but as a freshman she also won a title,” Cleary says. “April Rotillio is a tremendous 400-meter indoor record holder and All-American in the DMR, and will do very well this season.”
In the field events, look for junior Alexandra Acker to continue her success from last season, after taking second place (3.85-meters) in the pole vault at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships. The mark was the third-best in indoor school history, topping 3.82-meters which she recorded earlier in the season.
In the high jump, look for senior Natasha Redman and junior Katelyn Williams to have a good year. Last season, Williams competed at the Canadian National Championships, where she cleared 1.70-meters to tie for fourth. This year, Cleary is looking for their maturity and the addition of freshman Sydney Cummings to aid the Mountaineers tremendously.
“We need our high jumpers to excel this season,” Cleary states. “We have tremendous depth and tremendous talent with regional qualifiers in Williams and Redman. If they can all nail their performances at the BIG EAST Championships, it will push us over the top and be the best track team that we have ever lined up.”
The journey begins with the indoor season on Dec. 5, when the Mountaineers host the WVU Holiday Classic before three weeks of break. Action continues on Jan. 9 with the WVU Invitational, before three trips to State College, Pa., for the Penn State Northeast Challenge, the PSU National Invitational and the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup. To cap off the indoor season, the BIG EAST Indoor Championships will be held on Feb. 20-21 in New York City, while NCAAs will be held March 12-13, in Fayetteville, Ark.
The outdoor season opens on March 20 with the Wake Forest Demon Deacon Open, in Winston-Salem, N.C. Several tough meets are to follow including the Sea Relays in Knoxville, Tenn., and the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa.
The 2010 season will wrap up with the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 30 - May 2, and the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 9-12.
As the pieces begin to fall in place for the WVU track and field team, look for the 2009-10 season to be a year full of record finishes as the Mountaineers work toward their goals of a BIG EAST title and qualifying athletes for the NCAA Championships. With plenty of talent returning this season, along with a veteran coaching staff, chances are good that this will be a historic and exciting season.
