M., w. track show strong potential

After a week of training and racing in warmer climates, the men's and women's track and field teams are ready to start their seasons at home.

The men's team spent Spring Break in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Tigers capped a tough week of training with the Coastal Carolina Invitational in Conway, S.C. Although the early season meet was in many ways a tuneup for the upcoming conference meets, it did feature a portion of the Tigers' very deep, talented roster.

Princeton won six individual events at the meet, including taking six of the top seven spots in the 400-meter dash.

Head coach Fred Samara thinks that the week of training bodes well for the upcoming season.

"Our goals for the season are to win the conference and get as many guys qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships as possible."

Princeton should be in a great position to complete these objectives. The team is coming off an impressive overall victory at the Ivy League Indoor Heptagonal Championships just a few weeks ago. The Tigers won back the title from defending champion Cornell — it was Princeton's sixth victory in seven seasons.

The team will be counting on senior captains Rocky Craley, Tristan Colangelo and Jonathan Kielisazk for leadership this season. But along with the strong senior class, the Tigers also have a quickly developing group of freshmen runners.

"We are very pleased with our freshman class," Samara said. "They did outstanding at the Indoor Heps."

The Tigers will build throughout the season with an eye towards the marquee meets. The prestigious Penn Relays, held from April 20-22, typically draw as many as 50,000 spectators to the meet. The Outdoor Ivy League Heptagonals will be held from May 5-6 in Providence, R.I. The NCAA Regional Championships will be held from May 28-29 in Gainesville, Fla.

Last year, 14 Tigers from the men's team qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships. This year, the team hopes to bring that number above 20.

The men's season will begin at home on April 13 with the Sam Howell Invitational. A small group of runners, however, will get a jump on the season by competing at Stanford next week.

The women's team is equally optimistic after a week of training in southern California. The women also competed in a local meet at California State University, Northridge.

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The team had several promising individual performances at this meet including strong runs by senior Liz Morse, freshman Catha Mullen, sophomore Jordan Wagenseller and senior captain Hasina Outtz.

"Our team has a lot of depth," freshman Caroline Mullen said. "Everyone looks like they are in good shape, so we are excited to see what we can do this spring."

The goals for the women's team mirror those for the men — taking Heps and having a strong presence at the NCAA Regional Championships. Last year the women sent seven athletes to the Regional Championships.

Princeton is coming off several strong indoor track performances, including second place overall at Heps. In addition to great depth and a strong freshman class, anchored by Catha and Caroline Mullen, the team has several standout runners.

Senior Emily Kroshus and sophomore Cack Ferrell recently competed in the NCAA National Indoor Track Championships. Kroshus placed seventh in the 5000m run and Ferrel finished 11th in the 3000m.

The women's season will also begin at home in two weeks at the Sam Howell Invitational. The following weekend, Princeton will host Penn and Yale. Heps and NCAA Regional Championships will take place in conjunction with the men's events.

Both teams are ready to begin what promises to be a very exciting year for Princeton track and field.