Track and field begins with high expectations

After a season of shattering records and further developing the indoor program, the Stanford track and field team is geared up and ready to attack another season.

With a successful season in which every single Cardinal athlete who competed at NCAA Indoor Nationals earned All-American honors, the team will hope to do so once more, in addition to securing top positions in all events. The women captured the MPSF title last season, the first time since 2006. As a testament to the depth of the women’s team, they placed in nearly every single event. Following this spectacular performance, the women proceeded to continue their success with numerous top finishes at the NCAA Indoor National Championships.

The Cardinal will definitely miss some of last year’s seniors, including Lauren Centrowitz, Alicia Follmar, Idara Otu and Claire Cormier-Thielke. However, the returners for the Stanford women form an intimidating force. The group consists of, but is not limited to, junior Arantxa King, sophomore Mia Lattanzi, sophomore Laurynne Chetelat and junior Whitney Liehr.

“I am very excited and anxious for this upcoming indoor season,” King said. “The team is heading into the season with a strong freshman class, a tough quarter of preseason training and an overall new positive and competitive mentality.”

With a massive recruiting class of 14 freshmen women, the team will certainly pose a stiff threat to the competition.

“The freshmen girls will help the team win the MPSF title this year,” said freshman Karynn Dunn, whose individual goal is to qualify for the NCAA Championships in long jump and the 100-meter hurdles.

“The women’s team has an enormous amount of potential,” King added. “I am confident that we will do well this season. We are focused and are really looking forward to bringing home a team title.”

This will be King’s first completely healthy season since her freshman year.

“Personally, I am looking to have a breakthrough season,” she affirmed. “I am concentrated on jumping consistently for the ultimate goal of performing well at NCAAs.”

The men will be returning some top performers from last year, including sophomore Chris Derrick, who placed fourth at Nationals last year in the 5,000 meters with a time of 13:48.26. Derrick will be joined by teammate Elliott Heath, a redshirt sophomore who placed third in the 3,000 meters at Nationals with a time of 7:54.59.

The men’s team will miss the leadership and dominance in the hurdles of 2009 graduate Myles Bradley. However, the team boasts a large class of 17 recruits, providing great depth for the Cardinal men.

“The track team has a lot of young talent this year looking to do big things in NCAAs,” said senior Justin Reed.

Other top returners for the men include sophomore Amaechi Morton, who had an incredible outdoor season last year, as well as senior Ryan Fisicaro. With a strong foundation of seniors and leaders on the team, built upon with the fresh energy of the freshmen, the men will prove a dominant force in the league and have their eyes set on a championship title.

The men and women will go into action for the indoor season on the weekend of Jan. 16, competing in Seattle at the University of Washington Indoor Preview.