TOWSON, Md. - Towson's track team is escaping winter's last gasp and heading to Conway, S.C. where the Tigers will open their 2013 outdoor season this Friday and Saturday in the Coastal Carolina Invitational.
"We're looking for the temperature to be in the 60s and lots of sun," said Tiger coach Roger Erricker. "We're glad to be going outside and I'm excited about getting them started."
It was disappointing the Tigers failed for the first time in recent memory to qualify anyone for the ECAC Indoor Track & Field Championships held last weekend in Boston.
"We don't have any super stars this year," said Erricker, recalling the likes of Ashley Adams who captured the coveted indoor pentathlon title for Towson several years ago. "Plus, this team is much better suited for outdoor competition."
Erricker is hoping the Tigers throw, run, jump and hurdle better outdoors. That has been Towson's usual M.O. through the years. The Coastal Carolina Invitational has been just the event to get the legs moving again.
"It's not a big meet per se but there's a lot of competition," said Erricker. "We're young and gained some valuable experience indoors and were able to figure out a pecking order. We'll see what they can do this weekend."
A number of rookies are expected to begin scoring points for the Tigers including sprinters Kaitlyn Davis (North Brunswick) and Kelsey Fiddes (Mercy) plus pole vaulter Maggie Rampolla (Maryvale Prep), all freshmen who performed well indoors. Davis and Fiddes clocked identical 7.89s in the 60-yard dash to tie for fourth on Towson's all-time list in that event. Both will run the 100 and 200 on the oval.
Rampolla wasted no time climbing into the top 10 with a vault of 10'11.75" for third best. She's about a foot away from the school record. Junior Emilee Petti (10'0") is coming off a successful indoor season in the pole vault too.
Another first-year performer to keep an eye is freshman Wilhelmina Austin who demonstrated she can score in the long and triple jumps.
Junior Leslie Miles posted notable times in the indoor 500 (1:18.80) and should be a factor once again in the 400-meter dash (58.57) along with versatile junior Evan Campbell (57.96) who also high jumps and anchors the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Sophomore Kara Bucaro, who has been hampered with a leg injury, leads the middle distance contingent, owning the fourth-fastest time in the 1500 at 4:41.57.
Sophomore Elizabeth Tauber shows the way in the 5000 and 10,000. After missing several weeks during the indoor season due to an illness, she came back to clock a 10:30.47 at the Princeton Invitational for eighth on the all-time 3000 indoor list. Senior Hannah McKenzie and sophomore Ashley Simmons should be strong contenders in the 5000.
The steeplechase belongs to junior Emma Tobin who was thrown into the event last year and flourished. She finished fourth at the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship Meet last year in a time of 11:21.92 for a third place on the program's all-time list.
Senior Kamilah Browne is coming off a very good indoor season in the hurdles and should continue to score points for the Tigers in the 100m hurdles. Sophomore Emily Wenger returns as the top 400-meter hurdler, having placed third in the 2012 CAA Meet with a 1:01.96 to sit fourth on Towson's all-time list.
Senior Ashley Dabney, another versatile performer, leads the high jumpers with a career best 5'7". She also runs the hurdles and triple jumps. Senior Jessica Cooke scored 4,350 points in the heptathlon in last year's CAAs and figures to move up the ladder.
The Tigers will be without the services of senior Katie Salke this spring. Salke, who performed very well in the indoor pentathlon (3,248) and who is a threat for high CAA heptathlon honors, is taking a redshirt semester while student-teaching. She's expected to return next spring.
Junior Melissa Shirley returns as the top thrower in the shot and discus. Freshman Ashleigh Stallings has joined the discus and javelin groups. Junior Kathryn Kennedy and sophomore Nicole Gould are back in the javelin.
