University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Women's Track Travels To Boston In Season Opener
January 13, 2009 | Women's Track & Field
Jan. 13, 2009
Boston, Mass. -
The UMass women's track and field team will kick off their indoor season Thursday, Jan. 15 in Boston Mass. for the BU Multi-Team meet. The squad takes on Boston University, Boston College, and Sacred Heart in the first head-to-head of the season. The races commence at 5:00 PM.
TRACK PREVIEW
SPRINTS - HURDLES
After losing key seniors Alisha Tatham and Danielle Bolt, the sprinters will look to juniors Brittany Bakanowski, Holly Heinricher and Roz Murphy to lead the squad. Heinricher ranked eighth at the New England Championships in the 200M Dash and is a strong leg in the 4X100M and 4X400M relays. Junior co-captain Brittany Bakanowski excels in the 500M indoors and is a top leg in the 4X400M and 4X100M relays. Brittany is also the top returner in the hurdles. Bakanowski set a personal best last season in the 400M Hurdles at the New England Championships with a time of 1:03.78 and a fourth-place finish. Junior Alex Haller and Sophomore Lindsey Pfau are strong contributors for the Minutewomen in the 400M Hurdles. Haller also competes in the 100M Hurdles and will be joined by Freshman Falen Watson from Monmouth Junction, NJ.
A transfer, Ida Okkonen hails from Kuopio, Finland to run for the Minutewomen this season. Ida is primarily a 20+ foot long jumper, but will be a contender for the 4X100M relay. Stephanie Aguguo will step it up this year in the 200M and is also a candidate for the 4X100M. Graduate student, Kristen Bakanowski, an elite pole vaulter for the Minutewomen, has always been one of the fastest legs in the 4X400M and 4X100M relays.
Adding depth to the sprints and hurdles will be MA freshmen Courtney Decker from Pittsfield, Kate Beksha from Franklin, Kristen McLoughlin from North Attleboro, Lindsey Jacks from Feeding Hills, Deanna Julian from Dudley, and Sarah Kelley from Woburn.
MIDDLE DISTANCE
The Minutewomen show true depth in the middle distance events, yet the names will be fairly unfamiliar with five freshmen, four sophomores, and just three juniors participating. Leading the squad will be sophomore Gina Perno, who joined teammate Nicole Serapiglia in the 4X800 meter relay last season and also competed in the 800 meter run. At the Atlantic 10 Championships, she ranked sixth overall with a time of 2:15.89. During the indoor season, Perno tied Shana Smith for the fifth-best all-time in the 1000 meter run. Perno, also a cross country runner, looks to have a breakout season for the Minutewomen. Juniors Michelle Finley, Michelle Flynn, and Nicole Serapiglia will also be great assets to the middle distance group, both on the track and off. Most notably, Serapiglia, from Northboro, Mass., showed promise last season, competing in the 4X800 meter relay and aiding the team to a eighth place finish at the New England Championships, and is ready to earn points solo for the Minutewomen this season.
Freshman Claire Pettit is expected to make an immediate impact in the 800M through the mile run. Claire is a member of the Warwick High School 2008 national champions in the 4X800M and Distance Medley Relays. Pettit posted two back to back 2:11.1 800M splits as part of the record setting relays.
JUMPING EVENTS
Kristen Bakanowski leads a talented group of five women pole vaulters who will be making their mark this season. Kristen is rapidly approaching the 4 meter barrier and looks to eclipse the UMass record and earn a berth at this year's NCAA Championships. Not far behind are junior Molly Chapin and sophomore Jenelle Denehy who should be contenders at the A10 Championships. Additionally, sophomores Erinn Dandley and Lindsey Pfau along with freshman Meridian Pratt will look to increase their personal bests above 3 meters.
Ida Okkonen from Kuopio, Finland will look for improvements over her already outstanding personal record of 6.13 meters (20 1.32) in the long jump. Ida is followed by junior Holly Heinricher from Foxboro, Mass., who has long jumped 5.40 meters (17-10). In the triple jump, Stephanie Aguguo has had a great fall pre-season training experience and is pointing toward shattering the 12 meter mark.
THROWING AND MULTI EVENTS
Junior Lisa Wilson should continue to make headlines this year in the shot put, hammer, and discus throws. Last season, Wilson set herself atop the all-time discus throwers and second in both the hammer and the shot-put. She threw the discus 155-feet, 9 inches at the ECAC Championships to rank sixth overall and break the school record.
Wilson dominated the Larry Ellis Invitational, with a hammer throw of 168-11 and a shot-put mark of 43-10.75 to move to second all-time in the UMass record books. Wilson, a hard worker in the offseason, should travel far into the championship season, and certainly leads the Minutewomen by example.
Sophomores Jaclyn Imhoff and Elaina Zizza embarked on their pursuit of the heptathlon last fall when they first arrived on campus. Their hard work last year paid dividends and has made them valuable assets to the team. Imhoff ranked eighth at the Atlantic 10 Championships, while Zizza finished just behind in ninth. After a year of experience, all three competitors should score points for the Minutewomen this year.
Javelin throwers sophomores Kristina Landau, Stephanie Barnes and Kristen Hirsh had an excellent fall of training. They will continue their work this winter and are looking toward 40 meters plus in their events this spring. Last year as a freshman, Landau placed fourth at the A10 Conference Championships and at the New England Championships. This year should see substantial improvements to her very successful college debut.
DISTANCE EVENTS
The 2009 distance team will have to make up a lot of ground with the loss of senior Christina DeRosa. Redshirt sophomore Shiyi Zan will step into a leadership position, as she ranked first for the cross country team during the 2008 season. Zan ranks fifth all-time at UMass in the 5000 meter event. She set this record at the New England Championships with a time of 17:08.64. Last track season, she was named to the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Women's Track & Field Academic All-Conference Team.
Senior co-captain Beth Harlow will provide experience to this young distance squad. A Melrose, Mass. native, Harlow ran 18:46.25 for the 5K in the 2008 season and will be stronger for 2009 indoor and outdoor. Following closely is sophomore Kristin Darling from Miller Place, NY who clocked an 18:54 in the 5K event last year. Freshman Jennifer Harkey from Naperville, IL will be a solid contributor to the distance squad. Harkey posted a personal best of 11:37 in the 3200M and is virtually untapped.
After not competing last season due to injury, redshirt senior co-captain Taryn Trapp is poised to have a breakout season in the steeplechase. A grueling competition, Trapp is up for the task. As a junior, Trapp ranked fifth in the event with a season-best and team-best time of 11:29.69. Also competing in the steeplechase will be sophomore Jamie Richmond and freshman Karen Roa. From Saint Francis Prep in Jamaica, N.Y., Roa won all but one cross country meet she competed in at the high school level and posted times of 11:10 in the 3200M and 7:08 in the 2K steeplechase. These athletes bring great attitudes to the team, both on the track and in academics.
THE SCHEDULE
The 2009 women's track and field schedule promises to be a challenging one. However, Coach LaFreniere is enthusiastic about the program's promise.
The Minutewomen's indoor season commences in Boston, Mass. on Jan. 15 as the squad travels to Boston University to take on Boston University, Boston College, and Sacred Heart. The following weekend, UMass visits the N.Y. Armory for the Great Dane Invitational before heading back to Boston and the Reggie Lewis Track for the Reebok Games.
To start the month of Feb., the squad will compete in the Giegengack Invitational at Yale University. Next, they travel to Boston for a third time for the Boston University Valentine Invitational (Feb. 13-14).
UMass starts its indoor championship season with the Atlantic 10 Championships held in North Kingston, R.I. at the University of Rhode Island Feb. 20-21. Next, it's back to Boston as the Minutewomen compete in the New England Championships at Boston University and the ECAC Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track.
The UMass women's track and field outdoor schedule kicks off at the University of Connecticut for the UConn Invitational on April 4. Next, the Minutewomen host the first of three home meets with the UMass Six-Way Meet on April 11. After traveling to Princeton, N.J. for the historic Larry Ellis Invitational (April 17-18), UMass returns home to host the UMass Pre-Conference Meet on the 25th of April.
The Minutewomen start the month of May in Charlotte, N.C. for the Atlantic 10 Championships. The following weekend, the squad returns to Amherst to host the New England Championships May 8-9. The championship events continue as UMass visits Princeton University for the ECAC's May 15-17. The team ends their season in Greensboro, N.C. for the NCAA East Regional Championships May 29-30.