BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College women's indoor track & field team begins the 2013-14 season with justifiably high expectations as the vast majority of the roster that won the Greyhounds' sixth consecutive Landmark Conference championship one year ago returns to Bethlehem.
The Greyhounds, led by third-year Director of Men's & Women's Track & Field and Cross Country Jesse Baumann, will be looking to replace the void left by six-time track and field All-American Micah Leonard, who excelled in the long and triple jump events. The rest of big names all return with aspirations to continue Moravian's strangle hold on the Landmark Conference, while improving their standing on the big stage at the ECAC and National Championship events in March of 2014.
"We certainly have very high expectations because we have a young group that is returning from a successful season," Baumann said. "You can't really replace a jumper like Micah, but we have somewhat of a stopgap with some talented newcomers."
Two of those freshmen looking to fill Leonard's shoes in the jumps are Lauren Suelke and Kiara Bright. Suelke will compete in the long, triple and high jump events, while Bright will star in the jumps as well as the sprinting events.
The Greyhounds' strength will be in the sprinting and pole vault events. The strong core of sophomore sprinter Corinne Glass and junior sprinters Brielle Sutter and Brianna Wright, along with junior hurdler/sprinter Morgan Redmond, will make Moravian strong favorites in the short-distance track events.
Redmond ran a career-best 8.22 seconds in the 60-meter sprint at the 2013 Landmark Conference Championships (third place), while turning in her best time in the 60-meter hurdles at 9.39 seconds at last year's ECAC Championships. Sutter set a career-best mark in the 60-meter sprint last season with a time of 8.36 seconds and finished second in the conference 200-meter sprint with a time of 26.98 seconds, while Wright paced the group with an 8.10 time in the 60-meter at last year's season-opener at Lehigh University and winning the Landmark 60-meter title with a time of 8.12. Glass is the returning Landmark champion in the 200-meter sprint with a time of 26.89.
Junior Hailey Kester also returns as an All-American in the pole vault after placing sixth outdoors in the 2013 NCAA Division III National Championships with a career-best mark of 3.75 meters (12 feet, 3 ¼ inches). She was the runner-up at the Landmark Indoor Championships last season with a mark of 3.49 meters (11 feet, 5 ¼ inches), while placing fifth at the ECAC meet with a vault of 3.66 meters (12 feet), her career-high indoors. Kester will also compete in the jumps this winter.
"We're not fully aware of what other teams have to offer, but our strength will be in the 200-meter sprint and the pole vault," Baumann said. "Our relays are also looking good, but we'll face stiff competition from Susquehanna University."
Moravian was selected to win its seventh straight conference title in the 2013-14 coaches' preseason poll with four first-place votes and 47 points, ahead of Susquehanna's two first-place votes and 41 points.
Another newcomers to the women's team is freshman Rebecca Flitcroft, who will compete in the multi events this winter. The women's multi is a pentathlon including the 800-meter run, 60-meter hurdles, long jump, high jump and shot put.
Baumann is expecting big strides from the throwers and distance runners. Junior Jenny Kratch will lead the throwers after placing in the top five at the indoor conference championships in the weight throw and the shot put. Her best indoor mark of 13.03 meters (42 feet, 9 inches) in the weight throw came last season.
The distance crew is looking to carry some momentum after winning the 2013 Landmark Conference Cross Country title this fall. Juniors Claire Del Casale, Devon Bedell, Emily Lambright and Alyssa Tallon, and freshmen Meg Brockett, Sarah Hughes, Erin Love and Larissa Strycharz all return to the indoor track after a successful cross country campaign.
The distance runners are certainly ready for competition after wrapping up their second conference title in the last three years, but the rest of the indoor track & field team is not far behind from being primed for the winter meet schedule.
"We've been training since early October," Baumann said. "That's a good seven weeks getting in shape and they got some competition experience with an intersquad meet. There's been a lot of work in the weight room and they should be competition ready this weekend."
This weekend marks the beginning of the 2013-14 indoor season when the Greyhounds make the short trip to Lehigh University on Friday and Saturday for the Fast Times Before Finals meet.
