1999 Women's Track and Field Preview

The women are looking loaded for 1999. Not only are they looking to win a third consecutive Big Sky Conference indoor title, but they seem ready to make a strong push to win the triple crown - cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field in the same academic year.

Returning for the Lumberjacks are 25 athletes who played key roles last year, athletes like defending indoor 800-meter champion Martina Zé, 1998 indoor long jump champion Petra Eklund, shot put titlist Linda Nestorsson and 5,000-meter champ Rikke Pedersen.

"We have a very experienced team on the women's side, what with the successes our returning athletes have had," said 19th-year head coach Ron Mann. "But not only that, we had a very good recruiting year, bringing in quality athletes to provide us with strength and depth in all event areas across the board. We are a well-balanced team, with our talent evenly distributed."

And that distribution even counts the event areas where NAU was most vulnerable last year ­ the short sprints and the pole vault. Even those were addressed during the recruiting season.

Following is a thumbnail look at the 1999 Lumberjack women.

Distance
The staple of the Lumberjack legacy in the Big Sky Conference, the distance, should be a dominant aspect of the squad, when one considers that three cross country All-Americans lead the way, with senior Rikke Pedersen, junior Emily Allison and sophomore Amy Swier all moving to the track after leading the Lumberjacks to a 17th-place finish in last fall's NCAA Cross Country Championships. Joining them are Marisa Daniel, Jaymie Harper, Shelby Horgan, Sara Pope, Christin Ray and Lindsay Townsend as returning performers.

Middle Distance
This area is covered by some talent, as a healthy Martina Zé returns. Having dealt with injuries that limited her effectiveness after winning the indoor 800 title a year ago, Zé is expected to be at full strength to compete at a high level. Joining her is freshman Andrea Bookout, who was one of the nation's top 10 prepsters at both the 400 and 800 distances while at The Woodlands High in Texas.

Sprints
The sprint corps will be led by a solid trio of performers, namely returners Sommer Washington and Chantelle Bayley along with newcomer Summer McCollum from Glendale (Ariz.) Community College. Bayley and Washington both placed in the top five in the 55-meter dash at the Big Sky Indoor Championships. McCollum is expected to step in and contribute immediately. Also returning are Anna Eller and Janet Woods-Green for their second seasons.

Hurdles
The hurdles are expected to be covered ably by returner Petra Eklund and newcomer Trisha Blair. Eklund was a top finisher in the hurdles last year as a freshman, and expectations are that she will continue her improvement toward becoming a Big Sky title contender. Eller and Anna Nystrom may also see some action in the hurdle events, as well as redshirt freshman Jamie Krautschun.

Throws
This is perhaps the deepest part of the team besides the distance corps, as three all-conference performers return, led by Linda Nestorsson, who was an NCAA participant during the indoor season last year. Behind her are All-Big Sky performers Andrea Hancock and Jessica Daniels. Providing added depth is Christine Tipton, who will look to continue her improvement from a year ago.

Jumps
The jumps are covered, as well. Nystrom Eklund and Asa Lonn are expected to do some work in the triple and long jumps, with help provided by a youth movement led by Stephanie Newson.

Pole Vault
The women's pole vault is a new addition to NAU, as the NCAA recognized it as a championship event last year. The first female pole vaulter to wear the blue-and-gold is Rosada Martin, a sophomore transfer from Cabrillo College.

Multis (Heptathlon)
All-American Sabine Krieger returns for her final outdoor season, while Eklund is also back to make waves after making an initial impact as a freshman, qualifying and participating in the NCAA Championships a year ago. Krieger was hampered by an injury late in the outdoor season which prevented her from pursuing another All-America nod in the heptathlon, but she is expected to be back at full strength to shoot for a third career All-America nod.

Conference
The conference looks to have several contenders, including indoor championships host Idaho State and outdoor host Cal State Northridge. Expect NAU to be right in the mix, as well as defending outdoor champion Weber State and Montana.

"You want to be in a position where you are contending, and I feel that we are in that position," Mann said. "I think there is a chance that we can win the indoor title for the third straight year. Obviously we have to compete well, but we have had a great offseason. Our facilities have been where we have been able to get a lot of technical work done.

"If there is anybody stronger outdoors than indoors, it would be us because of our depth in the heptathlon and discus, which are both good events for us."

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