Indoor Track and Field Opens Up 2006 Season

Photo by: CUBuffs.com

January 19, 2006 | Track and Field

By: CUBuffs.com

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BOULDER - Colorado's 2006 track and field season will begin with a familiar start on Jan. 20 in the friendly confines at Balch Fieldhouse for the Potts Invitational. The meet will start at 11 a.m. with the men's weight throw kicking off the field events. The running events will start at 5 p.m. with the men's 60-meter hurdles. CU will be the only fully fielded team in the meet, but Colorado State, Wyoming and other front-range schools will send unattached individuals to participate.

Since this is the first meet of the season for the Buffs, its main goal is to see where CU's athletes stand and what they need to work on between now and the Big 12 Indoor Championships on Feb. 24-25 in Lincoln, Neb.

"The function of this meet is to give us a barometer of who got what done while we were apart," Colorado Head Coach Mark Wetmore said. "A coincidental function of this is to see who is ready to go the next level of meets. We have a big meet in Seattle and performances at this meet will have an effect as to who gets on the bus so to speak."

The Buffaloes, a team known for its traditionally top-notch distance program, will be looking to improve in all areas this season.

DISTANCE

Wetmore's cross country teams finished in the top-five at the NCAA Cross Country Championships this past fall after sweeping the Big 12 Championships and NCAA Mountain Regions. The women took second-place while the men claimed a fifth-place finish. The women lost Renee Metivier and Sara (Gorton) Slattery, both Big 12 and NCAA Champions last season, to graduation.

"Every year somebody goes out and somebody comes in," Wetmore explained. "Renee Metivier went out last year who was the high point scorer in the indoor Big 12. No one is coming in to replace her this year, but we return Christine Bolf, who I think was second in two events, and Liza Pasciuto, who took a redshirt last year. At this point in time Liza is in wonderful shape and will be a high scorer for us in any team meet. We have some good new freshman who will evolve into big point scorers for us sooner or later. The same is true on the men's side. Every year somebody goes out and somebody comes in. It's always different and it is always interesting."

Returning from the men's cross country squad this fall are Bret Schoolmeester, Billy Nelson, Stephen Pifer, James Strang, Pete Janson, Erik Heinonen, Austin Baille and Payton Batliner. Brent Vaughn and Brad Harkrader will return to the track after taking redshirts this past fall. The women will be lead by Big 12 Cross Country Champion Bolf, Pasciuto, Kalin Toedebush and Kristin Hoogheem. Also leading the charge will be Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Jenny Barringer and Sara Ensrud. Amber Smith will be in the line-up after taking a redshirt in the fall season.

JUMPS

Wetmore feels that jumps keep improving and despite losing Anna Magle, who won the Big 12 Outdoor High Jump Championship, to graduation. It was the first conference title for the Buffs in that event in 14 years.

"Anna graduated," he said. "We have a small group of jumpers. Principally I would say Amberly Casey (long and triple jump), who has scored for us in the conference level in the past, will step up and I think Coach Nyumutei has her ready to go farther than in the past. So we have high hopes for her this year. He (Nyumutei) has some other people that he is developing carefully who may help us in the Big 12 round."

Joining Casey in the long and triple jumps are Sasha Abuan and Chelsea Haverty, while Julia DeMarines will compete in the long jump. Brandon Johnson will compete in both the long and triple jumps on the men's side and Mark Ebert will participate in the long jump this season.

MIDDLE DISTANCE

Wetmore is excited about this year's middle distance group.

"Coach Johnson has probably our best middle distance roster ever here, certainly during my time here," Wetmore said. "A couple of them have some interruptions right now and some of them are training quite well. I think we have every reason to hope for an improvement in our scoring in the middle distance events in February."

Daniel Kenney, Robert Thayer Jr., Derek Winton and Jason Zichterman will run on the men's side, while Sara Ensrud, Allison Hawes and Kelly Shuma will run on the women's side.

SPRINTS/HURDLE

Brandon Couts has taken over the reigns of the CU sprints and hurdles. He will work with a talented squad. Chris Abuan, Abe Friesen, Sam Napp, George Pincock and Nathan Terry are veterans on his men's team. The women will be lead by Julia DeMarines, Mikaela Raddatz and Jackie Strum. This group has a large pool of talent coming from its freshman recruits.

"There is always some level of loss of momentum when there is a coaching change," Wetmore explained. "It seems to me with Coach Couts' arrival that the loss has been minimal. Never the less, there's veterans that are getting used to him and him getting used to them. There are brand new people that are getting used to college learning and college life no matter who the coach is going to be. So it is definitely a transition and building year for Coach Couts' group. But it is the most talented sprints/hurdles roster we have had in a long time and while it might be a year away, it won't be long before the new level of contribution from this group."

THROWS

Colorado returns a veteran group of throwers this season under the direction of '04 Olympian Casey Malone. Zach Hazen returns for his senior season as the CU men's indoor weight throw record holder. Junior Cortney Hutmacher owns the CU women's indoor weight throw record.

"Zach is back," Wetmore said. "He's bigger stronger faster, he will throw very well this winter. His support crew, James Begley and Ryan Willis are also bigger and stronger. Courtney Hutmacher has also had a good year of training. Of all the throwing disciplines she does, her favorite and best is the indoor weight throw, so she is glad to be back inside with a 20-pound weight in her hand. So I have high expectations. They are all pr-ing in practice."

THE SCHEDULE

"We've arranged our schedule this year to have more flexibility than we have in the past," Wetmore said. "There are often three or four meets on one weekend. It doesn't mean we are going to three or four meets, it just mean we will now be able to chose which of those meets present us the greatest opportunity for development in the different areas. So our schedule is a little unknown to me. We have all good opportunities on our schedule. A lot of places to look forward to, places to throw far, jump far and run fast."

The Buffaloes start the 2006 season at the Potts Invitational at the Balch Fieldhouse. They will be off for two weeks before heading south on I-25 to the Air Force Invitational on Feb. 3-4. On Feb. 11-12, Colorado will have three options, the Colorado School of Mines Open, the Adidas Invitational hosted by Nebraska and the Husky Classic hosted by Washington. Nebraska once again will be the host of the Big 12 Indoor Championship at the Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb. on Feb. 24-25. The Buffs look to move up from their seventh and eighth-place men's and women's finishes, respectively. There will be one last chance to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championship, Mar. 10-11 in Fayetteville, Ark., on Mar. 4 at the Last Chance Qualifier in Seattle, Wash.

The outdoor season will kick off just one week after the indoor season ends with the Potts Collegiate Invitational on March 18. For the second consecutive year, the Buffs will have spring break off.

Colorado will once again head out to Stanford twice this season on March 31 and April 30. The Buffs will spread out in April as there are 11 different competitions on the docket. CU will have the opportunity to make its way out to the Mt. Sac Relays on April 13-15. The following week, CU will be able to choose between the Michael Johnson Invitation in Waco, Texas, or the Christiansen Invitational hosted by Colorado State.

Baylor will serve as the host of the Big 12 Outdoor Championship, May 11-13 in Waco, Texas and Texas will host the NCAA Midwest Regionals on May 26-27 in Austin. Once again the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex will host the NCAA Championships on June 6-10 in Sacramento, Calif.

The schedule for the Potts Indoor Invitational on Jan. 20 is listed below:

FIELD EVENTS

11:00 a.m..................... Men's Weight Throw

Following men's WT...... Women's Weight Throw

Following women's WT Men's Shot Put

Following men's SP...... Women's Shot Put

11:00 a.m..................... Men's High Jump

Following men's HJ....... Women's High Jump

12:00 p.m..................... Men's Pole Vault

3:00 p.m...................... Men's Long Jump

Following men's LJ........ Women's Long Jump

Following men's PV...... Women's Pole Vault