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2005 Season Outlook Another successful Lady Jacket track season is on the horizon for second-year head coach Jeff Bolender. The squad finished as the runner-up at last season’s NCCAA Indoor Championship and placed 3rd at the American Mideast Conference Championships. Several talented Lady Jacket athletes will play a key role in the success of the 2005 track & field season, but none are more experienced than senior pole vaulter Rachael Castro. The five-time NAIA and three-time NCCAA All American broke both the indoor (12-3) and outdoor (12-3.50) school records last season and will look to finish her career with another record-setting campaign. Castro will lead a talented nucleus when the indoor season gets underway in the new Doden Field House. Coach Bolender is pleased with the solid corps of returnees, “Our group of young ladies are talented and are working hard in their training for the upcoming seasons. We should be as good, if not better than last season.” Five other Lady Jackets earned All-America recognition last season in various events (Top 6 NAIA finishers and Top 3 NCCAA finishers). The group features distance runner Samantha Maat, who was an NAIA All-American in the indoor 5K and outdoor 10K. The sophomore from Walker, MI was also an NAIA and NCCAA All-American performer for the CU women’s cross country squad this past fall.
Sarah Ensslen, NAIA Indoor All-American in the triple jump, returns for her second year with the squad. The sophomore jump specialist from Glenmoore, PA was CU’s top point scorer last year and was also the NCCAA indoor and outdoor champion in the triple jump. Junior sprinter Lauren Mable returns as the NCCAA’s indoor 55 meter and AMC 100 meter champion. The speedster from Lancaster, PA was an NCCAA Outdoor All-American, NCCAA Indoor All-American, and set six school records during last year’s indoor/outdoor campaigns. A big concern for Coach Bolender is the health of Mable as she recovers from a season-ending illness suffered during the 2004 volleyball season. Sophomores Deb Sweede (Chesapeake, VA) and Bonnie Wright (Royal Oak, MI) joined Mable as members of the NCCAA relay championship squads. A key addition to the squad is junior Christina Reyes. The talented long distance runner from Los Osos, CA finished 14th of 258 competitors at the NAIA National Meet last fall after transferring to CU from Cuesta College (CA).
“Our goals for the season include winning the AMC Championship and to finish well at the NCCAA Outdoor Championships,” added Coach Bolender. “The key will be everyone reaching their individual potential for the good of the entire team.” Bolender is excited about 10 rookies that could contribute right away while also adding depth in several events. Megan Gier (long & triple jump), Courtney Reid (sprints, 400 meter hurdles), and Jade Vasa (sprints, triple jump) will look to make immediate contributions. The 2005 indoor season consists of nine meets including the NCCAA and NAIA Indoor Championships. The new Doden Field House will be the site of two high school indoor meets and one college indoor meet. The Lady Jackets will participate in nine outdoor meets this season including the Yellow Jacket Open on March 25 – to be held again at the home track & field complex which opened in the spring of 2004. Highlighting the 2005 outdoor schedule will be the NCCAA Nationals, the NAIA Nationals, and the American Mideast Conference Championships at Tiffin University. | ||||||||
