Dec. 5, 2008
FINDLAY, Ohio -- Just two weeks removed from the cross country season, the Miami University track and field program shift gears this weekend when the indoor portion of its schedule kicks off. The RedHawks are competing Friday and Saturday at the Oiler Open in Findlay, Ohio.
The meet will be the first opportunity for a majority of the team to see action this year as it has entries in throws, jumps, sprints and relays. The distance runners are not competing after a grueling season that resulted in the program's first Mid-American Conference Championship.
"We are holding the distance people out after an intense cross country season, but it is a nice opportunity for us to take everyone else," Head Coach Rita Arndt-Molis said. "They have been training all fall and progressing and testing well. We are excited to see them get off the mark."
The event gets underway on Friday with the weight throw and pole vault. Saturday's field events include the high jump, long jump, shot put, and triple jump. Races with RedHawks slated to participate are the 60m, 200m, 300m, 400m and 4x400m relay.
"This meet will serve as a good checkpoint for us," Arndt-Molis continued. "We test our student-athletes during fall practice times, but there is no better check than real competition."
Some of the top returners for the RedHawks include Margarita Porgorelov in the 60m dash, Betsy Allen in the 400m run and Katelyn Kelly. Alexis Lape gets her first chance at field events after adding the long jump and triple jump to her racing repetoire over the summer.
But more interesting to Arndt-Molis is the progress of the freshman class, in particular Rachel Clay at 400 meters and Samanatha Gable in the throws "We have some youngsters who can have a tremendous impact on our team this season." Following this meet, Miami takes a holiday break until picking up the schedule in earnest in mid-January.
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