Men’s andTrack and Field: Tigers hitting stride early
Looking Back:
With this season’s group nearly resembling last year’s, the men’s track and field program is close to reaching its peak.
“The bulk of our talent is definitely back,” Head Coach Kori Stoffregen said. “This is probably one of the better men’s track teams we’ve had in a long time.”
The distance runners already made their mark in the fall when the team won conference and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time in 13 years. With a group led by seniors Polo Burguete and Pierce Sheehan, there is no reason to think the Tigers cannot make the same impact this spring.
Juniors Chase Wright and Johnny Miller will round out the sprinters, a team that includes sophomores Jordan Booker and Dante Stewart who both shined in their first seasons last year. From the field, seniors Nate Baker and Andrew Saunders return as the team’s top throwers, while first-year Jarrod Stiver has already made his presence felt in the long-jump.
Stiver’s strong start is only one hint at what’s to come in the spring.
Only two full months into the indoor season, the Tigers are already seeing personal records drop, a feat not usually expected this early due to Winter Term and off-campus commitments.
“It brings a motivation to the team that might not always be there for indoor track,” said junior Zach Batt. “To have everybody come back and do really well in the beginning, it’s definitely given us some confidence.”
DePauw most recently topped Wabash College and Wittenberg University in the DePauw Classic this past weekend, getting individual wins from Burguete in the 3,000 (8:40.53), first-year Lucas Coleman in the 1,000 (3:03.84), and sophomore Luke Patty in the 200 (23.13).
The win was the team’s fourth consecutive top-three finish over the winter, compared to their two all of last season.
With eight seniors, the Tigers are in a win-now mode, a mentality that has brought both motivation and a sense of urgency to the team.
“It’s like, ‘Okay, your time is very much limited now’,” Batt said. “We’re trying to take full advantage of that now.”
Batt and the rest of the team will compete at Anderson University this weekend at the Fred Wilt Invitational before closing out the indoor season at conference.
Key Losses: Cameron Steward (hurdler), Brad Burch (distance), Juan Berumen (distance)
Meet to Watch For: DePauw Invitational, April 7, 12 p.m.
Women’s Track and Field: Tigers look to fill shoes in distance
Looking Back: The Tigers graduated a trio of talented distance runners last spring in Claudia Monnett, Lois Miller and Becca Conley, leaving a younger core full of potential.
“There’s potential there, but we’re going to need girls to step up,” Head Coach Kori Stoffregen said. “Some of those losses have been tough for us.”
Senior transfer Meghan Hennessey helped offset those losses in the fall for cross-country, and will join sophomores Haley Thompson and Tori Flowers along with junior Gabby Coffing on the distance team. Hennessey, Thompson, Flowers and first-year Pia Ocvirk all placed second in distance events this past weekend at the DePauw Indoor Classic where the team finished seventh overall.
Hennessey is hoping to lead by example as she finishes her track career in a new setting.
“It was weird coming in, I felt like a freshman,” said Hennessey, who came to Greencastle after Saint Joseph College closed last spring. “It’s just been sort of that switch from being a senior-dominated team to a team dominated by underclassmen, and rebuilding the team that we had last year.”
The team will also be without their best sprinter, junior Kaitlyn Daanan, who is off-campus for the semester. A full season from senior Cami Etgen will go a long way for the sprinters, as she has battled injuries throughout her time at DePauw University.
DePauw also hopes to get another strong campaign from high-jumper Emily Wilson, who has put together a solid indoor season that includes a first-place finish (1.53m/5-00,25) at the Tiger Small College Invitational in early February.
The Tigers will also be competing in Anderson this weekend for the Fred Wilt Invitational.
Key Losses: Amanda Weber (sprinter), Claudia Monnett (distance), Lois Miller (distance), Becca Conley (distance), Odessa Fernandes (sprinter)
Meet to Watch For: DePauw Invitational, April 7, 12 p.m.