Women’s track and field prepare for new season

The Indiana State women's track and field team increased depth in preparations for the 2011-12 indoor and outdoor track and field season.

ISU women's head coach Angie Martin said the freshmen class of 2011 and one notable transfer student are expected to strengthen the team for the upcoming season.

"Our team is a little more well rounded than it was last year, and the attitudes have been great, and I think all of them have this desire to win," Martin said.

Freshman sprinter Kaisha Martin joins the Sycamores line up after running away with the women's state champion in the 100m in Michigan.  Additionally, Martin will be competing in the long jump.  Accompanying Martin will be another state champion, freshman sprinter Demetra Camble, who won both the 100m and 200m at the state meet in Wisconsin.  Freshman teammates Taylor Gilles, Ja'Liza Prophet and Carmelia Stewart are also joining the Sycamore line-up.  

Stewart joins the team as primary triple jumper and will assist in the short hurdles.  Gilles joins as a short hurdler but her and teammate Prophet will see action in the short sprints as well.  Junior thrower Mary Thiesen transferred from Division II Winona State University and she too is expected to make an impact.  Thiesen was the NCAA Division II National Champion in the women's discus.

The Sycamores finished last season in fourth place indoors and outdoors in the Missouri Valley Conference.  The team graduated a low number of seniors and have many strong returners, especially in the throws and jumps areas.

Coach Martin said junior thrower Felisha Johnson will continue to make an impact.  Johnson enters this season as the defending NCAA Division I National Champion in the women's weight throw.  The Sycamores lost senior thrower and All-American Kelsey Hanley, but Martin said Thiesen is in a position to make a big impact in place of Hanley.  Also returning for the Sycamores in throws are sophomore thrower Kasey Kahle and senior thrower TaraLyne Perigo.

"From a thrower's perspective, we have made leaps and bounds above where we were last year," Perigo said.  "Throws are going so much further, and in the weight room things are getting so much heavier."

In the jumps, Outdoor Missouri Valley Conference champion senior Nicole Hope returns for the Sycamores in the women's pole vault.  Junior jumper Richelle Kimble accompanies Hope in the event.  Kimble finished second both indoor and outdoor at the MVC Conference meets.  Both Hope and Kimble made the cut for the 2011 NCAA Division I East Region Meet.  Junior jumper Shalesa Smith leads the horizontal jumps.

The hurdles have many returning conference roster athletes.  This includes junior hurdlers Tori Stone, Stacia Weatherford and sophomore hurdler Brittany Housel with senior hurdler Sarah Snapp as well in the line-up.  Snapp said that many of the new freshmen she expects would make an impact in her event area immediately.

"The hurdles this year on the women's side are going to be very exciting," Snapp said.

Coach Martin said the middle and long distance groups are more mature and experienced and have a strong desire to win.  Senior long sprinter Kaci Smith, junior long sprinter Leeann Michl and sophomore long sprinter Shelby Higginbottom are three of the team's top middle distance returners.  In the longer distances, senior runners Kacie Klem and sophomore runner Jessica Zangmeister are among the top returners.

"I believe this team can be conference champions," Klem said.  "The first step to achieving that goal is for each and every one of us to believe it, and to want it."

With the first meet of the season a week away, Martin said the atmosphere on the team is full of excitement and anxiousness as the women cannot wait to compete and see the results of the work they put in during the fall.  However, the main goal remained a conference victory.

"I think we have the depth and talent to win the conference meet, but it will be no walk in the park," Hope said.