Women's Track and Field Outlook

9/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field

By: Dartmouth

Women's Track and Field Features Quality Lineup

After capping off the 2005-06 season with a third place finish at the New England Championship, the 2006-2007 campaign will be one of youthful competitiveness. The squad has seven talented seniors who will lead 53 eager teammates with determination, drive and focus.

Sprints and Hurdles
Last season saw two records fall during the indoor campaign when Victoria Michelotti '08 ran 9.07 in the 60 hurdles and Ashley Smith '09 clocked 7.93 in the 60 dash. This duo returns along with juniors Robin Bankert '08, Laura Plummer '08 and Katy Suchow '08 and sophomores Meghan Lawrie '09 and Sarah Leners '09. Together they will welcome eight talented first-year student-athletes, Shawna Foukles '10, Claire Frazer '10, Elyse Gabel '10, Kathleen Kobbe '10, Nadia Leung '10, Kathryn Miller '10, Natalie Stoll '10 and Leah Weisman '10. Coach Sandra Ford-Centonze looks forward to seeing a few more records fall.

Middle Distance/Distance

The distance team is rich with young talent as the Big Green expects to move up in the ranks this year. Leading the charge for the distance crew will be junior Elisa McCarthy '08, who had a breakthrough season on the track last year. She will be assisted by a much stronger and more fit group of sophomores who are returning with a year of experience under their belt — Anna Greskovich '09, Caitlin Cunningham '09 and Aryn Gruneisen '09. They will also be bolstered by a strong incoming class that includes Ali Smrcina '10, Kat Eidmann '10 and Blair Sullivan '10.
Sophomore Marcy Van Arnam '09 leads the middle-distance crew. A Heps scorer on the 4 x 800 relay team, Arnam got her Dartmouth career off to a great start. The 4 x 800 team will consist of a cast of sophomores, Cunningham, Megan Ramirez '09, Kat Rice '09, Jilian Gundling '09 and Kristin Fladseth '09. Eidmann could compete here as well.

Jumps
The defending New England high jump champion, Tara McNerney '09, cleared 5-9 1/4 for the Big Green last season. Nicole LaBombard '09 and Sarah Klassen '10 will add depth to that event. Natalie Todd-Zebell '09 has cleared 12-0 in the pole vault and is a consistent point-getter. She'll have plenty of help from Lilly Bertz '07 (11-6 1/2), Erica Graham '08, Hanh Tran '09 and frosh Hannah Raila '10. The vertical jumps will be handled by several veterans, including Jadah Chatterton-Richmond '07, Micaela Carwell '08, Melody Dai '07, Kara Pydynkowski '08 and Cassandre Tanner '08.

Throws
Six of the seven throwers from 2005-06 return to once again show their ability. Senior captains Melissa Machaj '07 and Jamila Smith '06, along with Jessie Long '08 and Stephanie Rauner '08, will capably cover all throwing events. Emily Daly '08 adds depth after a fourth-place finish in the discus at the outdoor Heps. Last year, Smith picked up where she left off during her 2004 campaign, placing second in the indoor Heptagonal shot (46-3 3/4). Outdoor Heps saw more production from “Jam” as she won the shot (45-11 3/4) and was fourth in the hammer (166-7).

Multi-Events
Karen Woolley '09, the New England Heptathlon champion and leader of this unit, truly proved to be one of the work horses of the team, competing in the heptathlon and pentathlon that require extreme strength, drive and focus. Pulling double duty are Jadah Chatterton-Richmond '07 and Micaela Carwell '08. Primed and ready to compete are a pair of freshmen, Kristin Kern '10 and Lauren LaDolcetta '10.