2008 Women's Track and Field Season Preview
January 11, 2008 | Women's Track & Field
Jan. 11, 2008
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - After winning the 2007 Big Ten Outdoor Championships behind a core of talented seniors, the 2008 Illinois women's track and field team is looking to reload and build on the Illini tradition of excellence that extends from the conference to the international level.
Illinois is a less experienced squad than in years past after graduating a group of veterans, most notably Yvonne Mensah and Camile and Carlene Robinson. The trio accumulated a total of seven All-America accolades, set seven school records and won 25 Big Ten titles during their four years with the Orange and Blue as consistent scorers and top performers.
However, the Illinois coaching staff has worked hard to replace that talent, bringing in a group of highly-touted newcomers who will be looked at to contribute immediately.
"We have a lot of freshmen this year who we are expecting to step up and be leaders," associate head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. "That's a lot to ask of freshmen, but the group we have is very mature and driven, so they should be able to step right in."
Senior leadership will primarily be found in sprinter Tiara Armstrong and hurdler LaNeisha Waller, both of whom will be gunning for individual conference titles after taking second in their events at the 2007 Big Ten meets.
After hosting the 2007 Big Ten Indoor Championships and finishing third, the Illini will again host a conference meet in 2008, with the Big Ten Outdoor Championships coming to Champaign on May 16-18 for the first time since 1997. Illinois will be looking to defend its 2007 title and finish in the top four for the fifth consecutive year.
"It's going to be an interesting year for us, with lots of new people and lots of young freshmen with some big shoes to fill," head coach Gary Winckler said. "We're going to have a different look than we've had in the past, but I think this team can still gel and be a pretty good Big Ten team. I'm looking forward to this season. Because we have so many question marks, it's going to be interesting to see how things unfold."
Sprints
The Illini have an undeniable hole to fill in the sprinting events with the graduation of Yvonne Mensah, one of the most decorated athletes in school history. Mensah was a mainstay on the Big Ten championship podium, winning conference titles in the 100 and 200 meters in 2007, while also anchoring the Illini's conference championship 4x100 meter relay.
Looking to step up and counter the loss of Mensah is senior Tiara Armstrong, who finished runner-up to Mensah in the 100 meters at the Big Ten outdoor meet in 2007 while also finishing third in the 60 meters at the indoor conference meet. Armstrong already is a Big Ten Champion as a member of last year's 4x100 meter relay, but will be looking for her first conference title in an individual event.
Junior Omoye Ugiagbe is a threat to win a Big Ten title in her event, the 400 meters. Ugiagbe has scored in the 400m in four conference meets (two indoor and two outdoor), finishing fifth at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships last year and competing at the NCAA Mideast Regional. She also will be expected to anchor the 4x400 meter relay after competing in the event with Mensah and Carlene and Camile Robinson at the NCAA Indoor Championships last year.
"Omoye had a wonderful year last year, earning a PR almost every time she ran," Buford-Bailey said. "This year I know she's expecting to drop her times in the 400m and be our biggest contributor in the 4x400m relay."
Senior LaNeisha Waller, primarily a hurdler, also can score points in the sprinting events for the Illini, finishing fifth in the 60 meters and eighth in the 100 meters at the Big Ten Championships a year ago.
A large group of newcomers, including UNLV transfer Aja Evans and freshmen Analisa Austin, Melissa Bates, Cheria Morgan, Jessica Penney and Tamika Robinson will be vying for the other positions in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays as well as in the individual sprinting events.
"I feel good about our sprinting core this year," Buford-Bailey said. "Even though they're young, our 4x100m relay could be just as good or better than it was last year with our newcomers. We're going to have a pretty difficult time trying to figure out who will be our top four because they're all doing so well right now."
Hurdles
Leading the way in Illinois' traditionally strong hurdling events this season will be senior LaNeisha Waller. Waller won the Big Ten title in the 60m hurdles in 2006 and finished in second in both the 60m and 100m hurdles at Big Ten's a year ago. Waller also will be looking to earn All-America status for the first time in her career after finishing 11th in the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2007. Her expectations extend beyond the collegiate level, as she hopes to qualify for the U.S. Olympic trials in the summer.
Also returning in the hurdles is junior Nikkita Holder, who took fourth in the 100m hurdles at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and qualified for the NCAA Mideast regional in the event. This season, Holder is a threat to score at Big Ten's in the 60m hurdles and improve on her finish in the 100m hurdles.
Seniors Brianna Cunningham and Alondra Cooper, who were both NCAA Mideast Regional qualifiers last year, are back in the 400m hurdles. Cunningham has placed sixth in the event at the Big Ten Championships the last two years, while Cooper took eighth in 2007.
"(Cunningham and Cooper) were just learning the 400m hurdles last year, but they made it to the Big Ten final and to regionals," Buford-Bailey said. "We're hoping that they can keep improving and get to nationals this year."
Middle Distance
Coming off a fantastic cross country season, sophomore Katie Engel and senior Rachel Hernandez are expected to lead the way in Illinois' middle distance events. Engel scored in the 800m at the Big Ten Indoor Championships a year ago and qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional in the 1,500m, while Hernandez was Illinois' top 800m runner in the outdoor season last year and competed regularly in the 600m during indoor.
"I'm excited to see how Katie and Rachel do in the 800m," assistant coach Jeremy Rasmussen said. "With the base they've developed during the cross country season, I think they've set themselves up well to be able to run really fast on the track."
Steeplechase
Freshman Danelle Woods should make an immediate impact for Illinois by scoring major points in the steeplechase. She already has asserted herself at the national level by running 10:13 in the event at the Pan Am Junior Championships and winning the Canadian Track & Field Championships.
"Danelle already has a goal of trying to run under 10 minutes in the steeplechase this year," Rasmussen said. "If she can do that, she'll be a threat for the Big Ten title and also on the national level."
Sophomore Taylor Bennett returns after qualifying for the NCAA Mideast Regional in the steeplechase and will look to score at Big Ten's this year. Freshman Chantelle Groenewoud also could contribute right away in the event after faring well during the cross country season.
Distance
Sophomore Angela Bizzarri will look for her first All-America honor on the track after earning the accolade twice in cross country. Bizzarri took third in the mile at the Big Ten Indoor Championships last year and qualified for the 1,500m at the NCAA Championships in the outdoor season. This season, Bizzarri will likely focus mainly on the 1,500m while possibly running the longer distances as well.
"Being a two-time cross country All-American bodes well for whatever event we end up going with for her," Rasmussen said. "It's a legitimate goal for her to be an All-American on the track, but keeping her healthy is the biggest thing."
Senior Maggie Carroll and sophomore Stephanie Baliga have competed before at the Big Ten Championships and will look to score at the conference meet in the longer distances (3,000m-10,000m), making for an experienced and well-balanced distance corps.
"I think Jeremy (Rasmussen) is going to make a big impact on the distance program this year," Winckler said. "Those athletes will definitely be ready to run track, and we're looking to get contributions from athletes we haven't had contributions from before."
Jumps
With graduated senior Yvonne Mensah, a three-time Big Ten champion in both the long jump and triple jump, scoring a majority of Illinois' points in years past, the Ilini will look to a group of underclassmen to make waves immediately in the jumping events.
Freshman Jessica Penney, a New Zealand native, is a threat to break Illinois' school records and contend for a Big Ten title in the long jump right away. Penney posted a personal best of 20-10 3/4 (6.37m) in the event in taking fifth at the World Junior Track & Field Championships in 2006.
"Bringing in Penney, with her international experience in the long jump, is huge for our field events," Buford-Bailey said. "We're expecting big things from her."
Sophomore Alecia Beckford-Stewart competed at the Big Ten Championships in the long jump and high jump as a freshman last year, taking seventh in the high jump at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. She will be expected to carry more of the load this year, similar to what Mensah has done in the past.
Another freshman, Melissa Bates, will help compensate for the graduations of Mensah and Kristina Jones in the triple jump, along with sophomore Stephanie Otuwa, who competed at Big Ten's in the event last year.
Pole Vault
Senior Amanda Pintaro and junior Jackie Ziegler share the Illinois outdoor record in the pole vault, both reaching the 12-6 (3.81m) mark at the NCAA Mideast Regional last year. The two also scored at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, with Pintaro placing fifth and Ziegler seventh. Pintaro also scored at the indoor meet, placing seventh. Both will be looking to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time in their career and score major points for the Illini. Senior Sam Scheidegger also will be back competing after being out with an injury all last year.
"Mandy looks really good and has had one of her best preseasons so far," pole vault coach Bryan Carrel said. "Jackie has been injured, so we're trying to get her healthy. Sam is looking very promising after returning from her injury."
Throws
The Illini will turn to sophomore Aja Evans, a transfer from UNLV, to score Big Ten points in the shot put this season. Evans took second in the event at the Mountain West Indoor Championships a year ago and placed sixth at the conference outdoor championships. An NCAA West regional qualifier in the shot put, Evans nearly qualified for nationals and will look to do so this year at Illinois.
"Aja will really help us in the throwing events, which is an area that hasn't been the strongest for us the last couple of years," Winckler said.
Alecia Beckford-Stewart also will throw the shot put in some meets, while sophomore Danyelle Michelini returns in the shot put and discus.
Multi-Events
Sophomore Alecia Beckford-Stewart fared well in the pentathlon and heptathlon as a freshman last season, taking sixth in the heptathlon and eighth in the pentathlon in the Big Ten meets.
The Illini will lean on Beckford-Steward heavily this season, as she attempts to improve her conference standings and qualify for the Canadian Olympic Trials in the summer.
"Alecia is going to do a lot of events for us this year, as much as Yvonne (Mensah) has done in the past," Winckler said. "She's a heptathlete and that will be her main event in the conference championships, but during our other meets she'll long jump, high jump, run hurdles and throw the shot. She's going to be quite the workhorse for us this year."
