Season Preview: Track and Field

1/17/2023 3:01:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field, Track & Field

ABILENE – Abilene Christian's storied track program graduated both of its All-Americans but the Wildcats look to make a big impression in 2023.

The ACU men lost All-American decathlete JJ Ply but have back three athletes who made it last spring's West Regional – Jamal January in the 110 hurdles and long jump, William Harris in the long jump and Jack Marshall in the 200.

Similarly, the Wildcat women lost All-American Annina Brandenburg but return National prelim qualifiers Ella Anttila (triple jump), Zoe Burleson (discus), Payton Kirk (long jump) and Irene Rono (5000 meters).

"I believe our men's team is much stronger than they were last year," said ACU Head Coach Jerrod Cook. "We have a lot of solid returners, a lot of great newcomers on both the men's and women's side. I think we're going to see a big change. We know what our team is capable of doing this year and our women have been an extremely strong program and very consistent. It's tough when you lose two major key players like Taylor Tolen and Annina Brandenburg, but I'm excited to see the underclassmen and others on the team step up and really fill the roles as leaders in all the areas on the track and field. I'm excited to see new faces really become the standouts for this track program, but we're excited we're wanting to push for a conference title on the women's side and for sure, a top three spot on the men's side for indoor and outdoor."

The leadership is strong across the board and the Wildcats have brought in a slew of newcomers, meaning the Wildcats are building for more than this season.

"We have more than 20 people coming in as freshmen," said Cook. "We're still a young team. We don't graduate many people this year. I think we're going to get stronger each year as we go."

The indoor season opens at Texas Tech on Friday and the Wildcats will take a full squad to Pittsburg State on the 28th – a meet that ACU has traditionally used for distance runners only. Several meets typical of the team's tradition are on the list with new WAC Championship trips to Spokane, Washington, indoors, and Nacogdoches outdoors.

Throwers
ACU will redshirt some of its throwers but the roster includes Nathaniel Collier, Colt Cooper, Athan Huelskamp, Chidubem Lebechi, Tyler Richardson, Rylan Smart and Stone Smith on the men's team and Zoe Burleson, Kaitlyn Callaway, Kiley Kjelstrom, Avery Myrick and Kailey Roskop for the women.

Burleson qualified for the West Regional last spring in the dicus.

"I'm excited about the throwers," Cook said. "I'm red-shirting a few of those just for development and have one right now who we're hoping he gets back for outdoor but we have a strong group. It's only going to be about six throwers that competing for us but what we were lacking in numbers we make up for talent. We're going to be extremely competitive with the throwers we're putting out there."

Multis
The women's multi-event athletes include Jessica Campbell, Hannah Foster, Skylar Harris and Natalie Poe. The men's group includes Ethan Christian, Canaan Fairley and Daniel Wheeler.

"I'm excited about the multis group," said Cook. "Ethan Christian should be competing indoors and then I have two newcomers on the women's heptathlon side. I'm excited about really adding numbers. Jessica Campbell was the only heptathlete competing and this year we're going to have three additional multis so we're really excited about the improvements in that group and just seeing them compete together."

Jumps/Pole Vault
ACU's jump squad includes Ryan Borenemeir, William Harris, January, Rhett Kahlden, Caleb Lawrence, Donovan Ramirez and Zach Young for the men and Antilla, Paige Boucher, Kirk, Ja'Dasia Sims and Luize Velmere for the women. Mackenzie Blain pole vaults for the women with Jacob Thomas representing the Wildcat men.

Anttila won both WAC championships in the triple jump last year and qualified in that event for the West Regional. Kirk captured the WAC indoor long jump title and made the regional last spring. January qualified for the regional meet in the long jump.

"We have two really good triple jumpers in Ella Anttilla from Finland and Luize Velmere from Latvia," said jumps coach Diane Wholey. "Very strong, very good jumpers technically. Like most Europeans, they've been jumping since they were 12. We're pretty good in the long jump with Ja'Dasia Sims, who also is a high jumper and Payton Kirk, who also is a vaulter and a hurdler. We have some overlap there and they are very strong in those events. Will Harris is very strong on the men's side and there are some other kids who are very good too."

Wholey is getting to know her jumpers after joining the staff this fall.

"I'm really pleased with the progress that they've had throughout the fall," she said. "As I get to know them better, we'll be able to capitalize on their strengths. Every jumper has nuances in their jumps and it is key to capitalize on that. It's a good bunch of athletes. and there are some of the younger ones are coming along."

Distance
The distance squad includes women's runners Peyton Bornstein, Katelyn Coldicott, Renee Elliott, Bella Evans, Kate Hansen, Tessa Holderman, Prudence Kiyeng, Irene Rono, Grace White and Kate Williams. The men's group includes Kevin Castruita, Levi Chambers, Gabe Embree, Cooper Goggans, Neal Helgerson, Luke Hernandez, Noah Jones, Maxwell Kiplagat, Samuel Lanham, Keaton Raney, Jacob Russell, Garrison Shindler, Gabe Trevino, JP Trook and O'Brien Verdin.

Rono qualified for the West regional last spring in the 5000 meters.

"On the women's side, we don't have a ton of depth but we should be well-covered in the mile, 3K and 5K, indoor," said cross country and distance coach Jarvis Jelen. "We have a group that's ready to go and a couple that will be ready to go soon. Obviously, we've had Irene Rono do big things over her career and these are her last seasons, indoor and outdoor. She's fit and ready to do good things. We have Tessa Holderman coming back from red-shirting in the fall and are excited to see what she can do right away in track. We have a lot of freshmen that are capable of doing a lot but need to gain some experience. We will come along a little more slowly as a group on the women's side, but I think we'll have a good group by midseason.

"On the men's side is where there's a lot of excitement. We have a big group of guys across all the event groups, 800 on up and the DMR, that is really fit and have been training really well and are ready to go. I can't even single one person out because we have a lot of people that should do some really good things right away and we are so excited to get going with this group."

Hurdles
Running for the men's team in the hurdles are Bornemeier, Horatio Brooks, January, Jeremy King and Harrison Manuel. Boucher, Rylee Jordan, Payton Kirk, Courtney Latham, Julia Perry and Jada Rocquemore are in the hurdle events for the women.

January is coming off WAC championships in the 110 hurdles last spring and 60 hurdles in the indoor meet. He also qualified for the regional finals, the first appearance at that level in the hurdles in ACU's Division I era.

"We came off with our best year for men's hurdles this past year," said hurdles coach Michael Rasor. "We're looking for Jamal to take that next step and to get him to Nationals. Being a regional finalist is huge, and he's flown up the top 10 lists, indoor and outdoor, on our performance list. Jeremy King is another returning hurdler. He made both finals in the 60 hurdles in the 110 hurdles last year and so I'm excited for him to come back."

The Wildcats graduate their top women's hurdler from last year, but bring back a strong contingent for 2023.

"Even though we graduated a school record-holder in Megan Kirby, I'm excited to see how Payton Kirk and Paige Boucher step up to fill that role in the sprint hurdles," Rasor said. "Also, we're looking to take that next step in the 400 hurdlers to get into a conference final, and I believe we have a squad to do that."

Sprints
The sprint team includes Joseph Baluti, Rovaughn Banks Jr., Tyce Chaney, Addison Franklin, Charlie Lee-Allison, Jack Marshall, Matthew Mills, Tiras Reed, Aydan Roberts, Jared Williams, Jayme Wooley and Marquis Wortham-Edwards on the men's side and Amy Ambelang, Riley Pyeatt, Breonna McCarthy Reese, Gracyn Reed, Ja'Kaylon Sabbath, Sims, D'Anna Smith and Savannah Walker on the women's side.

Marshall reached the regional level in the 200 meters last spring. Ambelang, Smith and Walker were part of the WAC 4x100 relay championship squad last season.

"We graduated a lot of our group so we have a lot of incoming freshmen that we're excited to see this year," said sprints coach Kristian Dillard. "Of course, we have Jack Marshall, a 10.3 guy that got to regionals and we expect to go further. Right on his back is Addison Franklin, who has seen so much growth since he's been here."

The women's team will look to replace Tolen and continue its success from last season.

"We're looking for another conference championship in the relays again, and in the open as well," Dillard said. "We recruited some longer-distance sprinters so I'm excited to see how they change the relay with Tolen gone. We have some people that are ready to take her spot.

ACU competes in six indoor meets before the WAC Indoor Championships in Washington, March 10-11. The outdoor season opens at home with the Wes Kittley invitational on March 17-18. The Wildcats compete in eight other meets, including the Oliver Jackson Twilight on April 27, before the WAC Outdoor Championships in Nacogdoches on May 11.