Track and Field to Race Into 2011-12 Season at EMU Tri-Meet
12/8/2011 8:41:00 PM | Women's Track and Field
Toledo, OH - The Toledo track and field team will get out of the blocks this Friday, Dec. 9 as it travels to Ypsilanti, MI to compete in its first meet of the 2011-12 indoor season. The tri-meet against host Eastern Michigan and Detroit Mercy begins the second leg of the Rockets' quest to capture the Mid-American Conference "triple crown" (MAC championships in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track).
Following a fifth-place finish at the MAC indoor championships last season, which tied a program-high finish, and a sixth-place outdoors finish, UT returns athletes responsible for 48 of 55 points at the outdoor championships. Senior Ari Fisher placed third in the mile and second in the 3,000 meters at the 2011 indoor championship, while Junior Huijun Jing finished third in the high jump.
Senior Alex Afloari, the 2011 MAC indoor champion in the triple jump, has exhausted her eligibility in indoor track, but will resume competition in the spring outdoor season. The return of redshirt junior Julie Snyder, a multiple-event standout, will be a major boost.
The Rockets are stacked in the distance events, coming off a cross country season in which Toledo finished as the 21st-ranked team in the nation. The team won its second-consecutive conference title with a MAC record-low total of 33 points and placed third in the Great Lakes Region championship meet. Team accolades included five All-MAC runners (Emma Kertesz, Fisher, Megan Vogelsong, Kaylin Belair and Kristal Studer), four all-region runners (Kertesz, Belair, Fisher and Vogelsong) and MAC Coach of the Year honors for head coach Kevin Hadsell.
"We're very heavy in distance and in the jumps," said Hadsell. "With most schools having great athletes and indoor only consisting of 17 events, it could only take 80-90 points to win the MAC. If that's the case, there is no doubt in my mind we could win it."
The EMU Tri-Meet is the first of nine regular-season indoor track events on the Rockets' slate this winter, with the MAC Indoor Championships scheduled for Feb. 24-25.
"One thing we do know is that we are the only school in the conference capable of winning the triple crown," continued Hadsell. "We're taking that very seriously and we are very motivated for it. It's obviously very early, but the girls are excited and I think we'll have some very good performances."
Contact: Brad Pettiford
E-Mail: brad.pettiford@utoledo.edu
Players Mentioned
