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January 18, 2008 > Sports > Well-rounded women’s squad looks to begin title defense

Well-rounded women’s squad looks to begin title defense

By Casey Michel | Thresher Editorial Staff

The year 2007 went about as well for the women’s track and field team as one could possibly expect it to go. In addition to capturing both the Conference USA indoor and outdoor championships by convincing margins, Rice rounded out the year by dominating cross country and making an appearance at the NCAA Championships.

But that was all last year. With the calendar turning to 2008, the Owls will begin their first title defense, as the indoor season kicks off with the Leonard Hilton Memorial. The meet — which will go on all day today at the University of Houston’s Yeoman Field House — will be Rice’s first action of the season. However, the Owls will face a plethora of staunch competition, ranging from the University of Texas and Texas A&M University to cross-town foe University of Houston.

If the women hope to better their second-place finish at last year’s showing, it will be necessary to carry over the momentum they gathered toward the end of last season.

Head coach Jim Bevan said this week’s competition will be about warming up for the grueling schedule ahead.

“Going into the first meet we just want to get our feet wet, to get started competing again, because most of the young ladies have been training for five months here,” Bevan said. “Training gets old without competition. It’s time to compete, it’s time to get started and find out where we’re at.”

Bevan said that while the focus of the team remains on well-roundedness, he believes the sprinters will be one of the strengths of the team as the season progresses. Senior Desarie Walwyn — a 2006 All-American — and senior LaToya Adekoya should make the sprinting corps one of the best in C-USA.

“We think we can get a sprint relay to nationals this year, and maybe a 4x4 [relay but] we don’t know in other events yet,” he said.

Also sprinting are freshman Sarah Lyons, a transfer from the University of Nebraska, and sophomore Shakera Reece, who took bronze in the 100 at the 2007 C-USA Outdoor Championships and earned an NCAA berth in the 100 and 200. After posting a personal-best time in the 400-meter hurdles in the outdoor championships, senior Chandra Ewing will be looking to end her collegiate career on a high note in the 400 and 400-hurdles once again this season.

Given their performance over the past couple of years and especially during the cross country season, it is not a stretch to forsee the distance runners doing just as well as the sprinters in 2008. Daniels, Rice’s record-holder in the 5,000-meter and two-time All-American, will lead a squad that looks to help the Owls repeat the 2007 outdoor championship. Daniels finished second in the 5,000 in 2007, and then-freshman Nicole Mericle finished seventh.

In the field events, the Owls will look to senior pole vaulter Rachel Greff and senior shot putter Ulrika Hinson for leadership in the pit. Greff will try to add to her numerous accolades, which include 2006 C-USA champion and 2005 USA Junior National Champion, but will not be the Owls’ only threat on pole vault this year. Freshman Ari Ince comes to Rice with an impressive resume, having won the Texas high school pole vaulting state title at the 3A level all four years.

“We’ve had three great vaulters at Rice — two of the three were All-American, and Greff was a junior national champion — and Ari has the potential to break the Rice record down the road,” Bevan said.

Repeating as C-USA champion is certainly not out of the question, although not necessarily expected. The Owls’ strongest competition should come from the University of Texas-El Paso, Southern Methodist University and the University of Houston. The Miners finished second in the 2007 outdoor championships, 24.5 points behind the Owls, but will be returning sprinter Oludamola Osayomi, who finished eighth in the 100 final at the 2007 IAAF World Championships.

No matter what kind of competition his team may face, Bevan said he knows the women, despite a slight change in personnel, have been toughened by previous experiences and maintain a mentality suited to winning championships.

“We’ve got an indoor track title to defend,” Bevan said. “We’re just hoping to pick up where we let off. It’s a different team. We graduated a few key people, we also brought in a number of freshmen, but a bulk of our team is a year older, a bulk of our team has been around the block, a bulk of our team has competed extremely well in championship meets.”

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