The men's and women's indoor track teams kick off a new season this Sunday with the New Year's Invitational, hosted by Princeton.
Jadwin Gymnasium will see an expected field of 10 to 15 teams, all of which will be looking to get an early indication of this year's competition. This invitational is somewhat less formal than other meets, and no team scores are computed, with winners only coming in individual events.
The meet is the only competition for either the men's or women's team before winter break, and the next meet for either team is not until Jan. 10, more than a month away.
The men's team will look to start on the path of avenging a close loss to Cornell at last year's Heps. That loss snapped a five year streak of titles for Princeton, part of a run in which the team won eight of 10 championships.
The team's runners are ready to start the season after a solid cross country season for many of them. Some of the returning stars for the Tigers include senior All-Ivy middle distance runners Josh Kauke and Jonathan Kieliszak, long distance runners senior Tristan Colangelo and junior Austin Smith and junior sprinter Dwaine Banton.
The Tigers look to be strong in the field events this year as well. The standout jumpers will most likely be Banton in the long jump and junior All-Ivy Mike Weishuhn in the high jump. The senior leadership for the throwers will be provided by All-Ivy shot putter Rocky Craley and All-Ivy thrower Josh McCaughey, with help from junior Paul Lyons.
On the women's side, the team has reason for a certain amount of optimism coming into the indoor season, following on the heels of an incredible performance by the women's cross country team, which placed ninth in the NCAA championships on Nov. 24. Several cross country runners are distance runners for the indoor track team. "Coming off of nationals, it seems to be contagious within the squad — the feeling that there will be improvement in all parts of the team," sophomore distance runner Cack Ferrell said.
Ferrell and fellow cross country All-American senior Emily Kroshus, who led the team to its strong performance this past fall, will dominate the distance running, and hopefully make up for Princeton's weaknesses in other events.
However, due to the intensive training that the cross country runners have been through in the past months, they will not be racing in this weekend's meet. The runners continue on a training schedule designed to keep them healthy and in top form. The distance runners are not likely to take the track until well into January.
The sprinting team is looking for help from several of its runners who are returning from injuries, and for the hurdlers, returning senior All-Ivy hurdler Hasina Outtz is sure to make her presence felt.
Stars in the field events will include senior All-Ivy pole vaulter Chelo Canino and senior All-Ivy pentathlete Susan Coltman. The throwing squad is looking at a rebuilding year.
The women have their eye on Heps this year, but will face considerable competition. Cornell has dominated the Ivy League in women's indoor and outdoor track for the past few years, and even with Princeton's phenomenal distance squad, the Tigers will have quite a challenge on their hands at Heps, held Feb. 28-29.
Indoor track has several differences from its spring counterpart, outdoor track, but these are not readily apparent to an observer unfamiliar with the sport. The sport still consists of running, jumping, and throwing events, but neither javelin nor discus are events for indoor, as safety concerns and spatial limits impose restrictions. In addition, the tracks are somewhat smaller than those outdoors.
The invitational on Sunday will be but a small preview of what is to come this season for the indoor track teams. Both men's and women's teams have justification to dream big this season, and now they can start to show it.
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