Men’s track and field return strong for 2011-2012 season

The ISU men's track and field team has a number of returning athletes and a recruiting class that will add further depth to the 2010-2011 Missouri Valley Conference championship team.

Head Coach John McNichols is expecting high performances from this year's team.

"I think everybody is very anxious to get started," McNichols said. "We have a veteran team back that won the conference team a year ago, and we have added in some outstanding athletes."

Joining the team are freshman jumper Jonathan Christensen for the high jump, who will enter the team being a high performer. Freshmen runners Gabe Osciaco and Taylor Head will be adding to the middle and long distance squads. Freshmen long sprinters Ryan Dickson and Ryan

Henderson will be contributors to the long sprints. Freshman hurdler Reese Price is joining the strong hurdle squad, and freshman Robert Wesley Shenk will be competing strong for the pole vault.

Returning and leading the sprinters will be senior sprinter Andrew Stull, and junior sprinters Devin Price and Justin Baxtron. All three will be returning to the track after placing in the 2011 outdoor MVC Championships.  Long sprint returners include sophomores Max Tuttle, Jonathan Jackson and Brad Adams, all who were crucial to the long sprint championship squads in 2011.

Sophomore long sprinter Ray Skamay will be returning to the track after an injury and will join the long sprint depth.

Stull said that developing as a team and continuing heightened attitudes is crucial to a championship team, and he hopes that the atmosphere from last year will continue into this year's performances as well.

"Winning a conference is a team effort, it certainly cannot be won individually," Stull said.  "It is crucial to develop team chemistry and enthusiasm."

Adams will also be crucial to the middle distance returning lineup, as well as sophomore runner Drew Gambill and senior runner Corey Hahn. All three athletes were a part of the 2010 indoor distance medley team that placed 4th.

"As for our goals this year, we want to repeat the same performance and send as many people to the preliminary round for outdoor track," Adams said. " I know that almost everyone as a whole is looking forward to improving their marks from last year and setting new PRs for themselves to help score more points for the team."

Senior runners Craig Padgett and Jeremiah Vaughan, and juniors Dustin Betz and Albaro Escalara will be leading the distance races with momentum from as the 2011 MVC Cross Country Champions.

Padgett, who just recently broke ISU's 10K record, will be searching for another event to dominate. Each will be contenders for the 1 mile, 3K and 5K races at 2011 MVC Indoor Championship.

Returning for the hurdlers, sophomore Greggmar Swift will be leading the race with fellow sophomore teammates Jackson and Tuttle close behind. Swift was a 2011 NCAA Division 1 East Preliminary Round qualifier in the 110m hurdles, and he also placed 7th in the 60m hurdle race at the 2010 MVC Indoor Championships.

Returning in the jump squads, sophomores Nigel Jolly, Marcel Hamilton, Kevin Piraino, and senior Ernest Rollins will be leading the long and triple jumps. Rollins is the 2010 MVC Indoor returning champion in the triple jump, and was also a 2011 NCAA Division 1 East Preliminary Round qualifier for the outdoor season. Jolly and Hamilton are also returning conference placers.

The high jump will continue to be led by senior Major Clay who placed 11th at the 2010 NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships and 20th at the 2011 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships. Clay is also the school record holder for high jump, and he will be joined in high competition by Christensen.

The pole vault will be led by senior Steven Swinford who placed 4th at the 2010 indoor MVC Championships. Joining him in leadership will be juniors Tucker Field, Dexter Childress, and junior Jeremy Pratt.

The combined events will be led by junior Robert Webb, who placed 8th in both the Indoor and Outdoor MVC Championships last year.