1/29/2010 6:50:52 PM
RICHMOND, Ind. — The Earlham College women’s track team begins the indoor season on Saturday as the Quakers compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference Relays at Denison University in Granville, Ohio.
The event starts inside the Mitchell Recreation and Athletics Center at 1:30 p.m.
“After graduating a number of outstanding athletes over the past few years, we find ourselves in a re-building mode this season,” Earlham Co-Head Coach Pat Thomas said. “We look for new faces to step up and take the lead and be consistent scorers.”
The Quakers have the most experience in the field events with Elizabeth Ross, Ramona Hemmings and Meredith Naughton leading the way.
Ross, who was named Earlham’s Most Outstanding First-Year last year, was a NCAC champion indoors in 2009 by clearing 5’1¾” in the high jump.
Hemmings, who was Earlham’s Most Improved Performer in 2009, finished third in the triple jump during the NCAC meet a year ago, while Naughton was sixth in the pole vault.
Eirinn Cooper is the only other retuning athlete to score in the NCAC Indoor Championships last season. She was a part of the distance medley relay team that was eighth.
Cooper is one of four seniors on the squad. The others are Emily Doering, Cassie Gage and Erin Witham. The juniors in the program are Hemmings, Emily Bohall, Molly Fallon and Caryn Wixom.
Ross and Naughton lead the sophomore class that includes Molly Mahoney, Erin McIlvain and Nora Swift. The first-years are Kate Birdsall, Cara Farris, Annie Hamdani, Nina Huether-Burns, Marini Pickering and Hannah Santino.
Earlham has a unique coaching situation this season. Thomas was Earlham’s head coach from 1990–2003, while Nick Johnson was in charge from 2004-2009. Both are now teaming up as co-head coaches. “This is pretty much what we have been doing all along,” said Johnson, who was an assistant under Thomas before taking over the program.
“We know our strengths and enjoy working together in developing our athletes,” added Thomas, who has served as an assistant to Johnson the last six years.
After the NCAC Relays, the Quakers will participate in the Anderson Invitational (Feb. 6), the DePauw Classic (Feb. 20) and the NCAC Indoor Championships (March 5-6) at Denison. Earlham’s outdoor schedule begins with the Hanover Invitational on March 27.