Miami's women's cross country and track and field programs enjoyed varying degrees of success in 2000-01. The cross country team finished 10th while the track & field team came up with a great performance at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship to finish fourth.
"The cross country season concluded with an uncharacteristic finish in the MAC meet," says head coach Dr. Richard Ceronie. "In the first 16 years of the program, Miami finished in the top four in the conference on 11 occasions, the second most of any conference program. Losing our No. 1 runner (Kristen Fryburg) to injury before the season even began was tough to overcome. We had many new faces and didn't establish that competition chemistry that is vital to running well in big meets."
This year, Miami returns two NCAA qualifiers in junior Kristen Fryburg and sophomore Andrea Kremer.
"Those two should be our leaders throughout the season and give us a tough one-two punch," adds Ceronie. Also back is senior Liz Lundgren, who will be serving as team captain this fall. "Liz has come a long way this past year, and we need for her to continue her development and give us a solid third runner," says Ceronie.
After that, the spots in the top seven are pretty much wide open.
"I would guess that sophomore Jenny Korrison, who redshirted last year, juniors Kylee Studer, Sara Edwards and Kate Steffen and freshman Meredith Magsig will compete for top-five places on the team," says Ceronie.
The track & field team is well-rounded and ready to improve upon the success it had last season. The RedHawks went 23-7 overall and 15-4 in the MAC, while ending up fourth at the outdoor championship.
"Our squad was very young last year but worked hard at putting forth its best effort at the MAC meet. Many members of our team put themselves into a position to be leaders in the MAC this year," remarks Ceronie. "If we take a look around the conference, we had the top freshman hurdler, distance runner, horizontal jumper, vertical jumper and thrower. That gives us great excitement for the future of our program."
Sprints
Junior Erika Harper and sophomores MacKenzie Weidenhamer and Bernitta Johnson carry much of the responsibility this year in the short dashes. Harper is the second-fastest sprinter indoors in school history (7.18 - 55 meters), while Weidenhamer finished the year with her best performances. Johnson ran a leg of the 4x100 relay and posted solid results in the 100. Junior Erica Barnett, who moved to No. 9 all-time at Miami last year in the 400 (56.71), and freshman Rasheda Malcolm will be counted on to score points in the long sprints. Malcolm was the Ohio state champion in the 400 this past spring with a 56.50 performance.
Hurdles
Miami adds an outstanding freshman to a group that includes three of the top eight short hurdlers in the conference. Sophomore Erin Connolly finished third in the MAC 100-meter hurdles as she ran the fourth-fastest time in Miami history (13.99). Right on her heels in fourth place at the MAC meet was junior Kate Christoff, who lowered her career-best time to 14.36, the ninth-fastest time in school history. Sophomore Jennifer Caldwell, who ran 14.26 in the 100 hurdles during the regular season (No. 8 in school history), placed seventh in the 400 hurdles and was the top freshman in that event. Freshman Katie Dyer was Indiana state champion in the 100 meter hurdles this past spring. She also placed second at the state championships in the 300 hurdles and is expected to contribute in the 400 hurdles. Junior Jolien Jakubick will focus on the 400 hurdles this year in hopes of becoming a MAC finalist.
Distance
Junior Sara Edwards and sophomore Jenny Korrison will be counted on to lead the RedHawks in the 800, with both running personal records of 2:13 in the event. Sophomore all-American Andrea Kremer and junior Kylee Studer were one-half of the distance medley relay that placed fourth at the indoor conference meet. The 3,000-meter steeplechase belongs to Kremer and senior Kim Dobler, who finished first and 10th, respectively, at the MAC Championship last spring. The 5,000- and 10,000-meter events are highlighted by senior Liz Lundgren and junior Kristen Fryburg. Both have been MAC scorers in those events.
Jumps
Sophomore Bernitta Johnson, who placed seventh indoors in the triple jump (40-3) while moving to No. 2 in school history, returns in the horizontal jumps. She established a new school record in the outdoor long jump, becoming the first RedHawk woman to break the 19-foot barrier. She ended the outdoor season as the MAC's highest-ranked freshman in both the long jump and triple jump. Sophomore Lindsay Hazen is back in the vertical jumps after placing in the high jump at both the indoor and outdoor MAC Championship. Senior Suzanne Smith, an indoor MAC scorer in the past, returns for her final campaign.
Throws
Sophomores Lauren Collins and Kristi Norris, senior Marie Mokosso and freshman Kristine Carlson should have all the throwing events covered. Collins and Norris, both of whom threw over 45 feet in the indoor shot put, should provide stability in the event. Collins established a new school standard in the 20-pound weight throw, posting a 54-5 1/2 toss last year. Outdoors, Mokosso placed in both the discus and hammer, while Collins was MAC runner-up in the hammer and scored in the shot put and discus. Carlson was a state qualifier in high school and placed in the shot put and discus.
Heptathlon
Sophomore Catie Hollinger returns after scoring 4,116 points-ninth-most in school history-at the MAC Championship.
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