Season Preview: Women's Track & Field looks to build off experiences of last season
The Ohio Northern women's track and field team returns some key components who look to build off the momentum from last year. Last year, the Polar Bears finished sixth in both the OAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
Sixth year head coach Jason Maus welcomes back almost an entire team from last season and has added a talented freshman class.
"We are a better team this year," said Maus "We have returned almost our entire team and have added some nice new pieces."
Here is a look at how ONU breaks down in every category:
Sprints
The sprinting department contains a lot of solid returners led by senior Gabrielle Metzner and sophomore Allison Gast.
Gast was a member of the 4x200-meter relay during the Indoor OAC Championships that earned her All-OAC honors, and also had a third place finish in the 4x100-meter relay at the OAC Outdoor Championships.
Metzner claimed All-OAC honors at the OAC Indoor Championships where she competed in the 4x400-meter rely that finished third. She continued her success in outdoor season where she earned third place finishes in the 110-meter hurdles and the 4x100-meter relay at the OAC Outdoor Championships, both of which earned her All-OAC honors.
Also returning in this category are juniors Brittany Lee and Kristine Wagner and sophomore Meagan Ellinger, all of whom had successful 2014 seasons.
Mid-Distance
The mid-distance group is the youngest on the team and will be led by senior Raechel Moore and Catie Huber, and junior Rebekah McCuthchen. Huber was a member of the 4x400 meter relay that placed third at the OAC Indoor Championships, and a member of the 4x800 meter relay that placed fourth at the OAC Outdoor Championships.
All three were core members of the mid-distance group last season and will look to have continued success.
A wealth of underclassman will enter the mid-distance category and will look to add a more competitive edge.
Distance
The distance group returns a solid core from last season's squad seniors Sam Hoffman and Julie Puvogel and juniors Kara Sosinski and Margaret Sorg all return after successful campaigns a year ago.
Sosinski leads the way after earning All-OAC honors last season in the 10,000-meter run at the Outdoor OAC Championships where she finished third.
Hoffman looks to have continued success in her outdoor season where she garnered a fourth place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Field
The jumps department will be the strongest of the field events for the Polar Bears, as junior Julie Amos and Kristine Wagner and sophomores Dianna Johnson-Ward and Kelsey Commager all return with plenty of experience.
In the throwing department, junior Michaela Dramis and McKenna Earley will look to lead the category. Dramis earned a top finish last season in the hammer throw at the Outdoor OAC Championships and will look to build on her success.
Junior Sarah Ballmer who earned her third varsity letter last season will look to lead the group of pole vaulters.
Schedule
The men's and women's teams open the indoor season at the Northwest Ohio Meet at the University of Findlay on Jan. 16. Northern will see its first OAC action of the season, when it travels to Baldwin Wallace for the OAC split meet Jan. 30.
The Polar Bears will host the annual Joe Banks Invitational on Feb. 7 and compete in the All-Ohio Championships at Westerville on Feb. 14.
The OAC Championships will take place at Capital on Feb. 27-28, and then the Polar Bears will return home for the Polar Bear Last Chance meet Mar. 7.
The NCAA III Indoor Championships will close out the indoor season on Mar. 13 and Mar. 14 in Winston-Salem, N.C..
The outdoor season opens on Mar. 20 and Mar. 21 with a trip to the Washington & Lee (Va.) Carnival. The Polar Bears will compete in the Cedarville Invitational Mar. 28, followed by the Ohio Wesleyan Invitational Apr. 4. ONU will then travel to Delaware Apr. 11 for the All-Ohio Championships.
Mount Union will host the OAC Championships on Apr. 24 and 25, with the season drawing to a close at the NCAA III Outdoor Championships at Canton, N.Y. on May 21-23.
"We have a young group and this schedule will help in its development," said Maus. "It allows for us to be competitive on every level."