Though this year's women's indoor track team is young, the underclassmen-laden Tigers may be laying the groundwork for a future Heps champion.
"We've got the events pretty well covered for the first time in a while," head coach Peter Farrell said.
Seventh last year at Heps, the Tigers' last title came just a few years ago in 1997. This year, the team retains most of its roster with just three major losses in Shawneequa Callier '00 — Princeton's only Heps indoor champion last year — four-year distance standout Courtney Ebersole '00 and senior Jen Cannistra, who remains out of action with a foot injury.
As with the men's team, the strongest component of the women's team will be the middle-distance events. Princeton has a strong one-two punch in last year's outdoor Heps 800-meter champion junior Lauren Simmons and 1999 indoor champ junior Natalie Deffenbaugh.
The Tigers have added a third punch in this knockout trio with freshman Liz Morse, the top high school senior in the country last year with the a personal best time of two minutes, seven seconds in the 800.
Behind these three is a pack of sophomores, including Abby Corson-Rikert, E.B. Smith, Christine Iseman and Debbie Jacobson. An All-Ivy freshman in the 4 x 800 relay, junior Emily Robinson returns after not competing during her sophomore year.
The Tigers will depend on younger runners in the sprints this year with freshmen Didi Yep and Willow Sainsbury — top-ranked New Zealand junior sprinters. In the longer sprints, sophomore Julie Nicholas will be joined by freshmen Dale Maffett and Laura Washychyn.
Princeton's top cross country runner returns this season in freshman Emily Kroshus, the Canadian junior record holder in the 5,000 meters. Junior Holly Huffman has broken five minutes in the mile, and classmate Catherine Casey comes off an outstanding cross country season, in which she became one of the Tigers' leading harriers.
Hurdling for the Tigers will be sophomore Natasha Yeager and freshmen Hasina Outtz and Susan Coltman, who is a multi-event star. Another multi-event performer is senior captain Becky Haarlow, who was sixth in the pentathlon last winter and will compete in the hurdles and triple jump as well.
Senior Sharon Jordan was sixth at last year's indoor Heps in the triple jump. Another senior, high jumper Becca Desman, was fifth at Heps last year. According to Farrell, Desman stands to follow in the steps and jumps of the graduated Callier.
Princeton has an impressive pole vault competitor in freshman Chelo Canino, who was one of the top high school vaulters in the nation last year with a personal best of 12-feet, six-inches.
The Tigers also have a strong throwing contingent with senior Khalila Thomas — who just missed scoring points at Heps last year with a seventh-place finish and has thrown over 42 feet in the shot put — leading the way. Backing her up are sophomore Rachel Rosemeyer, freshman Betsy Kennedy and senior captain Abby Neely.
Farrell said he expects the team to improve its placing of the past two years, which was near the bottom of Heps.
"We'll see significant improvement this year," he said. "We're a much stronger team this year. We didn't lose too much."
Most of the Tigers will debut this Sunday at Jadwin Gym for the New Year Invitational.
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