Dec. 1, 2005
DAYTON, Ohio - The UD indoor track & field season opens Saturday as new head coach Kandice Erwin takes her squad to the Oiler Open in Findlay, OH. The meet is one of six indoor contests leading up to the Atlantic 10 Championship, in which the Flyers were picked by the Atlantic 10 coaches in the preseason poll to finish seventh.
"I'm very excited to begin my first season as the Flyers head coach," Erwin said. "We have had a very productive fall with our sprinters, hurdlers, and field event athletes, and the cross country team is coming off a great season. The girls have worked really hard and have adapted to the changes our coaching staff has implemented. The expectations we have all set for the girls are extremely high, so we are expecting to have a unprecedented season."
Erwin joins UD after guiding Texas Lutheran to the American Southwest Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship last season.
18 student-athletes are back from last year's squad, including senior Kelly Pohlman, the reigning Atlantic 10 shot put gold medalist, and junior Candace McKinley, the A-10 Outdoor champion in the heptathlon. "Both of them are amazing leaders, so we always look to them for points," Erwin said. UD also returns seven other scorers from the 2005 A-10 Championship Meets: Stacia Harold (sprints/relays/jumps), Connie Fleming (throws), Lindsey Brown (sprints/relays), Micella Davis (sprints/relays), Liz Forster (sprints/relays), Megan Sweeney (high jump/sprints), Tara Hentgen (triple jump/long jump/sprints/relays), Emily Deet (distance) and Bridget Kuhel (mid distance/relays).
"Many of these girls are way ahead of where they were last year, so we're looking forward to seeing what they can accomplish," Erwin added.
Joining the returnees are 15 newcomers whom coach Erwin expects will contribute right away. Dianne Striebel and Amy Kempf were two of the leading runners on UD's cross country team in the fall and will run distance events in Indoor. "We are also excited about Ellen Nienhaus and Jacqueline Jaworek, who also had good cross country seasons. Anne Oltman should represent UD well in the 3000m steeplechase. We are also looking for big things from Amy Kremer, who will be joining Candace McKinley competing in the pentathlon and heptathlon. Jessica Schulte and Andrea Cornell should both be strong contenders in the hurdles. In the 400m, Lisa Aubry and Stacy Chew should find themselves in the top 10 at A-10's and will contribute on the 4 x 4 relay."
The Flyers get their first test at Findlay, a meet which coach Erwin will use to take stock of her squad. "My goal for this meet is to have several girls have performances that are equal to or better than last year's A-10's. I want to see where we are and what we need to work on, after the first semester of training."
Following the Findlay Open, UD is off until the New Year when the Flyers travel to Muncie, IN on January 13, for the Ball State Open.
