Greenville, Webster Favorites in Track and Field

Greenville University and Webster University are the ones to watch this spring in the 2020 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference outdoor track and field season. The two programs were the overwhelming favorites in both the men's and women's polls with Greenville coming in first on the men's poll and Webster atop the women's poll. 

Greenville has won the last three conference men's championships and received 36 total points in this year's preseason poll, picking up six first-place votes. The Panthers once again boast a deep roster with a balance in both the track and field events. Although head coach Brian Patton graduated the Field Athlete of the Year (Mitchell Hooten) it is next man up with sophomore Nate Brown taking the top spot. Brown was last year's SLIAC Field Newcomer of the Year and comes into the outdoor season having been named the Indoor Field Athlete of the Year after a pair of gold medals in throwing events. On the track the Panthers return Rakim Murphy, the 2019 SLIAC Track Newcomer of the Year. Murphy marked 22'11" in the long jump and was a national qualifier last year in the 200 meter dash and 4x100. He is joined by one of the nation's top sprinters, two-time All-American Jeremiah Davis and DiMond Salmond. Dylan Goodyear looks to carry his cross country success over into the middle and long distance runs this spring. Top Newcomers include Jared Beyers, Carson Rantanen, and Dylan Webster. 

The Greenville women's team has finished second at the championships in each of the last two years and likewise finished second in the poll this spring, totaling 31 points with one first-place vote. They will be led by sophomore Cayden Sharp, last year's Track Newcomer of the Year. Sharp is coming off an impressive indoor championship which saw her take home five individual gold medals. Fellow sophomores Haniah Davis and Hannah Williams will compete in several track events as well. The throwing events will be led by Deb Cunningham and Savannah Maloney. Newcomers Tawyne Rodriguez, Keocea Sarchet, and Alexa Seger could make some noise this spring.

The Webster women's program will be looking to make it a three-peat this spring and picked up 36 total points and six first-place votes in the preseason poll. Head Coach Nick Niehaus brings back most of his key athletes from last year's championship team with the lone key loss being All-Conference jumper Johnae' Hightower. He will have one more year of Meredith Sowers, the 2019 SLIAC Track Athlete of the Year. Sowers, a senior, is a versatile competitor and holds the conference record for most career medals. Daisha Reece, the Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, will look to continue her 2020 success into the outdoor season. Middle distance runner Minnell Fundora will compete for gold in the 800 and 1500 meter runs while Miranda Green is the team's top thrower. Brennae' Jackson (hurdles), Ashton Jordan (throws), and Kaitlin Higgins (distance) are freshmen that should play important roles. 

The Gorloks men's team was picked 2nd in the poll with 31 points and one first-place vote. They have finished with 190 or more points in each of the last two outdoor championships but lost some depth in the throwing (Dimitrije Mitic) and sprint events (Brandyn Robinson) from last year's team. To offset those losses the Gorloks should be stronger in the middle and distance events. They return Jacob Ridenhour, who finished 2nd nationally in the 200-meter dash last year, as well as All-Conference sprinter Elijah Perez. Nathan Freyling was an All-Conference performer last spring in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs last spring while Edward Tinnemeyer picked up indoor All-Conference honors in 2020. Cameron Sakuma and Kaelin Triggs will be important parts of the team. 

Principia College finished 3rd in both the men's and women's polls. The men's team will have a strong core that should compete for individual titles. They are headlined by junior Corey Carter, an All-American and Division III National Champion. Sophomore Wisdom Thomas has quickly made a name for himself in both the long jump and triple jump while Josh Aleman is the team's top hurdler. Seniors Abe Ott (distance) and Chris Puduski (hammer throw) will look to close out their collegiate careers on a high note. The Principia women's team finished with 27 points in the poll and head coach Robert Baker hopes to put together a strong relay team. Sophia Hathaway will anchor the team's throwing events while sophomore Abby Holt earned All-Conference honors in both the high jump and pole vault last spring. Newcomer Beka Petersen has shown some potential in sprints.

The Spalding University men's team finished 4th in the poll with 18 points. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles women's team came in 6th with 13 points. First-year Head Coach Nate Thiesfeld brings back Will Brittain, an All-Conference performer last spring in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs. Dane Thoms is also back on the men's side while Victoria Shedron will look to step up after the graduation of Kelsey Phillips.

Iowa Wesleyan University was picked 5th in both the men's and women's polls. The men's team finished with 15 points while the women's team totaled 14 points. The Tigers will be led by first-year head coach Chris Pio. This is the first year of rebirth for the Tigers track and field teams and Pio will have a small team. But there are several standouts to watch among the roster. Sierra Howardson is a two-time All-Conference performer in cross country and should compete in distance events. Keona Love, a freshman sprinter, grabbed attention at the SLIAC Indoor Championships where she was named the SLIAC Track Newcomer of the Year. Lida Landre, an All-Conference volleyball player, will look to convert her jumping ability onto the jumping events this spring. Men's competitors to watch will be Sebastian Armenta, Stafford Lewis, and Max Paskowitz.

The Fontbonne University women's team came in 4th on their poll with 21 points while the men's team was picked 6th with 10 points. Head Coach Phillip Halley boasts one of the strongest group of throwers in the league. He brings back the SLIAC Champions in both the shot put (Raven Venegas) and discus (Jillian Venegas). Also returning are Sierra Moore and Emily Bay and between the four throwers, the group took home seven individual medals at last year's conference championships with four other top-five finishes. Junior Amelia Tregoning hopes to add to that throwing depth this spring. Halley will look for freshmen Madelyn Huffstetter, Ogechi Okapara, and Taylor Sloan to make progress in the running events for the team. On the men's side, the Griffins will be young and rely on freshmen KeYonn Hall-Baker, CJ Purcell, and Andre Webb to carry them in the jumping and sprinting events. Hall-Baker already holds the school's indoor high jump record. Greih Murray will look to improve on his throwing finishes from last year while Austin Joyce returns as the team's top distance runner.

Westminster College rounds out the preseason polls, coming in 7th in both the men's and women's polls. Westminster head coach Will Crocker is continuing to build up the Blue Jays roster and will have to replace long-time stalwart, Jessica Kuykendall. Crocker does bring back junior Ray Samuels, who will be the team's top thrower.