Jan. 8, 2003
With three returning NCAA Championship participants, including two All-Americans, the 2003 track and field season looks to be another in which the Idaho State Bengals will challenge for the Big Sky Conference Championship.
The men's team finished fifth indoors and fourth outdoors last season, but look to improve on those finishes this season. The women took third in both and looked especially strong indoors where they have a shot to challenge Weber State and Northern Arizona for the title.
"I think we're in good position," said ISU Head Coach Dave Nielsen, who enters his 20th season at ISU. "I wish we had a little more depth. We will be a little shy in a few areas, but overall we're a fairly balanced team."
"The women are a mature team and there are a lot of potential points on the women's side. We just have to capitalize on our opportunities this year."
"On the men's side, we have a few more holes, but we also have a number of top guys coming back. We have an All-American Paul Litchfield and some really good sprinters who will make an impact, so I'm pretty excited."
Nielsen was candid about what he felt were his team's chances in the Big Sky Championships this season.
"Our goals, on the surface, are to be in the top three in both indoors and outdoors and we would like to have a shot at a championship," Nielsen said. "It's going to really take some pulling together and utilizing our points the best we can to make that happen."
Field Events
On the women's side you have to start with Maureen Griffin. The senior from Pocatello has established herself as perhaps the best field event athlete in ISU history. Griffin, a two-time All-American and five-time Big Sky Champion, owns the ISU records for the hammer throw and weight throw. She is also in the top five all-time in the shot put. Griffin finished third in the nation in the hammer throw with a school and Big Sky record toss of 209-7 last season.
"Maureen Griffin is a many-time All-American in the hammer throw and she's getting better and better in the shot and discus," Nielsen said. "That's a key person for us and Maureen has some high goals."
Junior Michelle Railsback is coming off her best season in the pole vault in which she set four of the top-10 heights in ISU history. She also took fourth in the event at the Big Sky Championships. After sitting out last season with a bulging disk in her back Sophomore Echo Schneider looks to rebound this season in the javelin.
Sophomore Melissa Griffiths scored last season in the pole vault and looks to do so again this season in both the pole vault and the jumps. Junior Jamie Bobert continues to improve in the jumps and could be a scorer for the Bengals this season. Despite being just a freshman last year Solana Kline made an impact in the toughest event to do so at ISU-the pole vault. She should continue to improve and give the Bengals another vaulter who can score at the Big Sky Championships. Kaci Williams, Krystal Saling and Kim Scott will also be key contributors in the field events.
Newcomers Shawntel Fish, Britni Garz, Jessica Lyman and Erin Sparks all look to contribute in their first season at ISU.
On the men's side the man to watch for ISU is Paul Litchfield. Litchfield was the Bengals lone athlete to compete in both the indoor and outdoor championships in the pole vault. He took fourth at the outdoor meet with a height of 17-4 1/2. He also set the ISU outdoor record in the event with a height of 17-8 1/2 at the Big Sky Championships.
"Paul Litchfield is shooting for All-American again and scored for us last year in the pole vault," Nielsen said. "Plus he's a key guy in the relay. He's been running really well in fall training. So his contribution won't be just in the pole vault, but in the sprints and relays as well."
Dan Lai and Ben Allen give the Bengals a pair of versatile athletes who will score at the Big Sky Championships. Lai was an All-Big Sky performer in the long jump as well as in the sprints. Allen came out of nowhere to finish second at the outdoor championships in the triple jump. He also scored in the decathlon at the outdoor meet.
"Dan has been at the top in the long jump. He went to the conference meet last year and was leading, then lost in the last jump or two," Nielsen said. "That really drove him crazy, so I know that he's really hungry to be conference champion, as well as all-conference in the sprints. Ben Allen had just a great year last year. Surprisingly enough, the event he trained for as a freshman, but didn't train much on it last year was the triple jump, and he finished second outdoors."
Brad Milam (javelin) and Ray Munyagi (jumps) had solid seasons in 2002 and look to improve on that this year.
"One area we have a bit of a weakness is in the throwing area," Nielsen added. "Andy Wilke is really our only returning thrower and Andy is ready to throw good in the weight and hammer and hopefully outdoors in the discus. Hopefully Andy is going to step up in the weight throw and make up some points that we're going to lose in the shot put."
The Bengals will look to some of their newcomers to help with their lack of depth in field events this season. Matt Banton, Michael Estes, Peter Komendant and Troy Wassink are the Bengals newcomers in the field.
Sprints
The sprint corps look to be in good shape, especially on the women's side where seniors Selena Frazier and Alena Munger form one of the best 1-2 punches in the region. Between the two of them, Frazier and Munger own six of the seven school records for distances from the 55-meter to the 400-meter. Frazier provisionally qualifed for both the 200 and 400 indoors, but wasn't selected for the championships. She looks to rectify that this year.
"Selena Frazier has had a great fall after a great year last year and she's going to be extremely tough to beat," Nielsen said. "So she's obviously another key person. Her running mate in the short sprints, Alena Munger is set for a great sprint season also."
Adding depth, and perhaps even pushing those returnees are a pair of talented newcomers.
"Larnie Boyd is a 55-second 400-meter runner out of California. She's making a great adjustment to the snow and cold weather. Tiffany Anderson is kind of following in Selena Frazier and Alena Munger's footsteps and she's going to be someone to watch, especially in the 55-meter and the 100-meter."
Freshman Melissa McLimore also looks to make an impact in her first season.
The men's sprint corps looks to be good shape as well, led by Lai.
"I think our whole sprint group is good," Nielsen added. "One that's real multi-talented of that group is Dan Lai. Branko Teodorovic, Josh Hansen, Jason Hendrian, they form a really great mile relay team, we're going to be tough to beat there. Plus Paul (Hoffman) is going to step in. We have some really good freshman, so we're going to have some people vying for some spots. The freshmen, we'll just have to see how they compete, but they're hungry, they don't want to get beat by these guys."
Among the freshman looking to challenge for time on the track are Aaron Arnold, Jonathon DelBosque, Joshua Hansen, Jason Hendrian, Douglas Roehm and Skylar Stevenson.
Distance
In a conference where points in the distance events are at a premium, the Bengals will battle Weber State, Northern Arizona and Montana for any points they can get in the distance events.
One Bengal sure to impact that competition is Paul Hoffman.
"Paul Hoffman had a good cross country season after kind of a rough go in his summer training," Nielsen said. " It just shows his mettle. That is going to give him a great base going into the 1500, mile events this season. Paul will certainly be a standout for us, and, in a very tough conference. That makes it very key, because, if he can pull it off and knock some points off of Weber State or NAU's gang then we have really accomplished some thing."
Nick Bradley, Kol Henrikson, Andrew Kjellsen, Trevor Knight, Matt Nelson, Aaron Olswanger, Joe Perdue and Matt Tyrell round out the Bengal distance corps.
On the women's side Brooke Benedetti, Mattie Mulick and Donilyn Rowland lead the way. Benedetti has placed in the 10,000 meter in each of the last two years and was one of the most consistent runners on the team this fall. Mulick took fourth in the always tough 800-meter and has run four of the top-10 times in ISU history in the event. Rowland is coming off her best cross country campaign and should make a strong impact on the track.
Crystal Galloway, Serena Kunz, Lisa Podany, Kala Reid, Sarah Skeem, Taralyn Summers and Malorie Sunderland will also compete for the Bengals in the distance events.
Multi-Events:
Always one of the Bengals strongest areas, the multi-events were even more so last season. Jackie Poulson had a breakout season in 2002, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the Heptathlon after winning her first two Big Sky Championships, in the heptathlon and the 400-meter hurdles. With a 12th place showing in the 2002 Championships, Poulson is another athlete that Nielsen is counting on for big things this season.
"Jackie Poulson, as a multi-event, or combined event athlete, has many skills," Nielsen said. "Of those skills, I think a couple of them will come out and shine. She could really catch fire in a couple of events. She will be a very key person because she can score in a lot of events."
Railsback, Saling and Griffin will add talented depth in the multi-events as well.
"We have a great 1-2-3 in Michelle Railsback, Krystal Saling and Maureen Griffin in the multi-events. They're all multi-talented and have excellent skills. They should help fill in some holes in other events like the hurdles and jumps."
On the men's side Allen, David Schroeder, Adam Matthews, Matt Herald, Nathan Capps, Jacob McIntosh and McKay Womack lead the way. Schroeder, a freshman starter on the men's basketball team, was the surprise of the team in 2002, placing at the Big Sky Championships as a freshman in the decathlon.
"Adam Matthews struggled with knee problems, but came back and did well in conference last year," Nielsen said. He's doing much better physically so far this year. We've had nothing but great luck from the Capps family and he should really help us in the hurdles and the high jump. Aaron Arnold has good times under his belt. He's right on the edge of posting scoring times."
Adding a new twist this season, the NCAA changed its qualifying process for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Similar to other sports, there will now be regional qualifying. This year's West Region Championships, in which the Bengals will compete, will be at Palo Alto, CA. Nielsen was excited when talking about what the changes will mean to track and field.
"It's going to be another exciting part of college track and field in that many more kids will advance to the NCAA Championships than in the past," Nielsen said. "It will be like an Olympic Trials atmosphere because you have to produce that day or you won't move on to the finals."
