Maryland to Open 2019 Track and Field Season this Weekend

Maryland to Open 2019 Track and Field Season this Weekend

1/10/2019 10:53:00 AM | Track & Field

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland track and field team travels to State College, Pa. to kick off their indoor season this weekend at the Nittany Lion Challenge. The indoor season will conclude in March and will lead into outdoor competition, with the team wrapping up in mid-June.

"I am looking forward to putting in some work on the track and in the field during the 2019 season," Head Coach Andrew Valmon said. "Our group has spent the past several months preparing for competition and it's time to see the results of this work. The goal is continuous improvement in everything we do. We have held our athletes to high standards this fall and I expect this mindset to carry over into competition."

"Our upperclassmen are a strong mix of seasoned performers who are looking to repeat Big Ten and NCAA level performances. We have welcomed several transfer athletes into the mix as well as bringing along our younger crew. These dynamics will set us up for an exciting season."

Men

Transitioning from last spring, we saw a great deal of success in the field with thrower Greg Thompson, who was the NCAA runner up in the men's discus and aims for another podium finish this spring. Thompson set a school record in the discus en route to winning a Penn Relays title. Deandre Leith is the new addition to the throws and will seek mentorship from Thompson as he prepares for his debut in the circle.

High jumper Sam Shoultz has his eyes set at even greater heights heading into his senior year, coming off of a season where he not only qualified for the NCAA final round, but tied the school record at 2.24m.

During the 2018 indoor season, junior Kameron Jones set two new school records in the 400m dash and the 600m dash. Jones looks to improve on these records in the 2019 season, solidifying his spot in the record books. Sophomore Aaron Robinson finished his freshman campaign strong and is ready to continue on this path in the 400m dash. Freshman Dashawn Morris will also prepare for a strong debut in the 400m. Travis Valmon will also return to compete in this event.

In the horizontal jumps, senior Carlos Vanzego will remain competitive in the triple jump and Andrew Alfano will take the lead in the long jump during his senior season. Freshmen Kaithon McDonald and Nate Moore will also compete in the jumps.

Representing the distance squad will be senior athletes Patrick Hanley and Aaron Barlev. Hanley notched a win in several events last indoor season and will continue to focus on the 5k/10k distances. Barlev will run the 3k indoor and transition to the steeplechase during the outdoor season. Sophomore William Jones will also compete with the distance squad primarily in the mile.

In the middle-distance events, senior TJ Bleichner posted the top time in the 800m during the 2018 season and will look to top this in his final seasons. Fellow seniors Hazem Miawad, Ryan Scott, and Jared Loadholt will also compete in the middle distance events. Junior Brady Snelson and freshman Colin Rowe will add to the middle-distance group.

Senior AJ Ruffin will lead the short sprint group as competes in the 60m dash and the 200m dash. He'll be joined by newcomer Cameron Vereen.

Women

Jewel Smith enters her senior season as a top returning performer in the horizontal jumps. Smith qualified for the NCAA final round in 2018 in the long jump and placed third at the Indoor Big Ten Championships. The 2019 season will be time for the senior jumper to leave everything in the sand. Also on the runway, junior Leah Blackall will look to make her mark in the triple jump this year.

Moving to the track, the short hurdles will be covered by senior Thaila Cooper and sophomore Nadia Hackett. Cooper will also compete in the 400m and relay events.

Returning from a successful freshman campaign as an All-Big Ten performer in the 400m hurdles is Xahria Santiago. Indoor, Santiago will focus on her 200m and 400m speed before transitioning back to the hurdles on the outdoor track. Joining her in the 400m and 200m events is sophomore Cheyenne Jones in addition to transfers Venida Fagan and Destiny Ward.

Senior Emily Bracher is coming off of a strong cross country season in which she ran her way to the NCAA finals. Bracher will lead the way in the distance events this indoor season as she builds off of this strong base from the fall. Brittany Lang, Kathryn Gearhart, and Molly Barrick also return with some of the top marks in the distance events from the 2018 season. Caroline Augelli, Anna Latzko, Courtney Mann, Emily McAllister, Jasmine Tiamfook, and Alexa Woltjen round out the distance squad.

The Terps have two new additions to the vertical jumps this season with transfer Mikella Lefebvre-Oatis coming in as a top performing high jumper. The women's squad will see an appearance in the pole vault by freshman Gwendolyn Zeckowski.

Returning for a fifth year is Alexandra Lucki, whose accolades include appearances at both the outdoor track and cross country NCAA Championships. Lucki will use her last season of eligibility focusing on the 1500m in the outdoor season. Sophomore Christine Laurie and junior Paige Novak will also be notable performers in the middle distance events this season. Freshman Mackenzie Morgan will join the mix in the 800m. Seniors Obichi Onwukwe, Kiernan Keller, and Gaby Go will make their final run around the track in the middle distance events during the 2019 season. Maria Castellanos, Yasmine Kass, Julia Reicin, and Kirstin Walz add depth to the middle-distance group.

The 60m dash will see appearances from three newcomers with freshmen Jaida Smith and Imani Gray and transfer Bria Mack.

In the throwing circle, transfer Alice Barnesdale will focus on her primary event outdoor in the hammer throw. Sophomore Bayli Smith and freshman Kamryn Henderson will start their season in the shot put and the weight throw. Freshman Lillian Hill will also join the throws group focusing on the javelin.

-TERPS-