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2004 Season Outlook There are a number of new looks in Cedarville University men's track & field in 2004 from new indoor and outdoor facilities to a new head coach. A familiar face, Jeff Bolender, takes over the helm from Paul Orchard, who moved to the men's cross country position and will coach the track distance runners. Bolender, who garnered head coaching experience while at Mount St. Clare College in Iowa, served for two years as an assistant under Orchard. He previously competed as a distance runner for the Jackets during his college career. "I feel quite comfortable at Cedarville," said Bolender. "It's good to be back as part of the track & field program. We realize that we don't possess much depth and we're a little inexperienced, but we have some athletes who have the talent to be successful." Team co-captain James Yahara, an NCCAA All-American in the hammer, is one of just three seniors on the roster. He was an NAIA national qualifier in the indoor weight throw and outdoors in the hammer.
The other captains, all juniors, are Tim Beck, Andy Goodenough, and Adam Laskos. Beck is a multi-event athlete in the javelin, sprints, and jumps. He was an NCCAA All-American in the outdoor long jump and was an NAIA qualifier in the javelin. Goodenough is an 800 meter specialist who was part of the American Mideast Conference champion 4 x 800 relay team last spring. He was also a member of the foursome as a freshman that set the school record in the event. Laskos is in his third season at Cedarville and has experience in the 200, 400, 600, and 800 during both the indoor and outdoor campaigns. A trio of sophomores, who were each NCCAA All-Americans, are back to continue their careers. Dan Campbell, CU's #1 cross country runner, was the NCCAA indoor 5,000 meter champion last winter. Justin Mattern was an outdoor All-American in the pole vault and Kevin Hall earned All-America honors in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.
Senior distance runner Josh Mark returns after taking a year off. He was an NAIA qualifier two years ago in the steeplechase and 5,000 meters. Sophomore high jumper Joel Smith qualified for NAIA national competition both indoors and outdoors as a rookie. Classmate Ben Shroyer as a member of the AMC winning 4 x 800 meter relay squad. A solid class of a dozen freshmen hope to have an immediate impact. Jason Scott joins an impressive group of pole vaulters after winning the Ohio Division II state title last spring at 15-2. Micah Harding and Chris DeLange, both Cedarville High School products, were quite successful in the Ohio Division III Championships. Harding was the state's 800 meter champion two years ago while DeLange was 3rd in the 400 meters as a senior. Cedarville will spend most of their time on the road during the 2004 indoor and outdoor seasons. The Yellow Jacket Open will be staged on April 16 at the new outdoor track & field complex. The new Fitness-Health-Recreation Center with its indoor track facilities is scheduled for completion this spring. | ||||||||||||||||||
