Season Preview

WOMEN

The Mount Marty Lancer Women and Coach Randy Fischer are set to make the 2009-2010 track and field season memorable.

The women will be led by senior Carly Benson of Hurley, S.D., who has the current school record in the 400 intermediate hurdles and is also one of the team’s top sprinters and middle distance runners.

Megan Nelson, a junior from Sioux Falls, S.D., will also be one of the top sprinters and middle distance runners. Katie Breuer of Madison, S.D., will also really help in the sprints and will make a bid to qualify for nationals in the pole vault. She previously was third in the pole vault at the GPAC Outdoor Conference Meet last year. Newcomer Alexa Berg of Pierre, S.D., will help out with the hurdles and sprints in the outdoor season.

Megan O’Grady, a senior from Tyndall, S.D., will lead the distance core as she has the school record in the indoor 5,000-meter run. She will have plenty of help from a talented group of runners in Jade Steinberg of Yankton; sisters: Brittany (a junior) and Brooke (a freshman) Fischer of Sioux Falls; Autumn Biermann (a freshman) of Wisner, Neb.; they will be joined by a cast of other talented athletes to help improve the middle- to long-distance events.

Dana Riter, a sophomore of Waubay, S.D., will be a leader in the jumping events and will also help out in the sprints. Alicia Letcher, a sophomore of Alexandria, S.D., Kelly Schilling, a senior of Miller, S.D., and newcomer Bethany Schmidt, a sophomore of Norfolk, Neb., will be instrumental in the jumping events.

The throwing events will be led by junior Kim Velk, along with with Courtney Beacom, a sophomore from O’Neill, Neb.; Whitney Lickteig, a sophomore from Dell Rapids, S.D.; Katie Breech of Mitchell; and Sarah Crosgrove, a freshman from Ponca, Neb.

The women look to have more depth from last year and hope to improve on the ninth place finish in the GPAC Outdoor Conference last season.

MEN

The Mount Marty Men are hoping to improve on their 11 th place Indoor finish and 12 th place Outdoor finish last year.

Titus Kosgei of Eldoret, Kenya, will lead the middle- to long-distance team. Kosgei broke five school records last season. During the indoor season, he broke school records in the 800-meter run, the 1,000-meter run and the mile. He also qualified for Nationals in all three events and placed 9 th in the 800-meter run. During the outdoor season, he broke the 800-meter record and the 1,500-meter record. He also ran at Nationals and in the 800-meter event.

Tyler Smit, a sophomore of Lennox, S.D., who qualified for Nationals in the marathon in the outdoor season last year, also returns to the team. Mitchell Zenk, a sophomore from LeMars, Iowa, who is a solid runner at all events up to 800-meters will also be someone to watch. Damian Vacin, a freshman from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, should also do well in the middle- to long-distance events and is a great asset to the team.

Others that look to add to the depth of the team are James Jensen, a freshman of North Platte, Neb.; Chris Riley, a junior from Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Brett Springman, a freshman of Adrian, Minn.; will also be nice additions.

Brandon Phizacklea of Colorado Springs, Colo., will lead the sprints as he tied the school record in the indoor 55-meter dash in 2007. Kalib Heeren of Akron, Iowa, will join him as the top sprinters on the team.

Trevor Lopour of Fort Pieree, S.D., looks to lead the field events in the high jump after redshirting his freshman year with an injury. Anthony Blakc, a sophomore from Omaha, Neb., Brandon Frey, a sophomore of Omaha, Neb., will also make nice contributions. Strong additions are pole vaulters: Daniel Filsinger, a freshman from Clearwater, Neb., and Austin Schroeder, a freshman from Wagner, S.D.

David DeWitt, a junior from Yankton, S.D., will lead the weight throwers and will help from Peter Prostrollo, a freshman from Sioux Falls, S.D., and Henry Hauger from Irene, S.D.

The hurdle events will look to be much improved as two quality freshman, Jay Overgard of Parker and Tanner Venard of Sioux Falls look to lead the way.