YSUsports.com - Women's Track Preview: Penguins Hope League Championship Run Begins Tomorrow at All-Ohios

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Feb. 11, 2005
Women's Preview: Penguins Hope League Championship Run Begins Tomorrow at All-Ohios
    Youngstown -- Six conference champions. Five NCAA Mideast Regional qualifiers. Two Horizon League Championship trophies. That's what the Youngstown State women's track and field team accomplished last season. This season, the Penguins may be even better.
    Five of those conference champions return to join an experienced group and another standout recruit class in hopes of sweeping the Horizon League's Indoor and Outdoor Championships for the second straight season.
    "The talent is in place and we're combining our championship experience great senior leadership to hopefully defend our titles," Head Coach Brian Gorby said. "This is the most well-balanced group we've had and that gives us the best opportunity to be successful at the conference level as well as at regionals and nationals."
    "We just have to stay humble, take things day by day and keeping pounding in that sense of tradition."

Sprints

Danielle Bolt and Jeanna Cunningham will anchor the sprints for the Penguins. Bolt was named the Horizon League's Newcomer of the Year last year in the indoor season after winning the 60-meter dash in a YSU and league-record time of 7.71 seconds. She followed that up with an outdoor campaign in which she also set the league record in the 100 dash at the conference meet and was also part of two winning relays. This season she has already broken her school-record in the 60. Cunningham is the school-record holder in the indoor 200 and is the second-fastest 400 runner in school history in outdoor. Freshmen Emily Wollet and Yandeh Joh will also contribute in the sprints while Leslie Johnson, the school-record holder and 2004 league champion in the 400 in the indoor, will return for her senior outdoor season.

Hurdles

Three-time Horizon League champion Aaliyah Gillespie will look to continue her dominance in the hurdles. Gilliespie, a senior in indoor and a junior in outdoor, holds the YSU and Horizon League record in the 60-meter hurdles and the 100-meter hurdles. The Penguins will also get a lift from junior Cassandra Smith and freshman soccer player Brittny Humphrey.

Distance

Emily Schnitkey will pace the Penguins in the distance events as she looks to to defend her title in the mile in the indoor and improve on her four school records. The former cross country Newcomer of the Year also qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional in the steeplechase and placed second in the event at the conference outdoor meet. Sophomore Marielle Glanz has posted personal-best times in three events already this season and is poised to be a strong force at the conference meet while senior Lindsay Wojciak, junior Gina Mavrikis and sophomores Kim Jendre and Lisa Davies should also be solid contributors at conference.

Jumps

The Penguins concentrated greatly on the jumps area in the offseason and brought in two talented freshman in Carly Youlton and Joh to help fill the void. Youlton was named the Horizon League Athlete of the Week after her first collegiate meet. The former Canadian Junior Track & Field National Champion in the long jump currently ranks fourth all-time in YSU history in the triple jump and fourth in the triple jump. Joh currently ranks third all-time in the long jump with a mark of 18-1 3/4 and has great potential. With the addition of sophomore Nikki Hooper, who finished third in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump at last year's indoor conference meet, the Penguins are hoping to claim three of the top four spots in the jumps.

Throws

The throws group is young, but a strong recruiting class combined with developing sophomores and a senior leader could be the right combination for a strong showing in the league. Senior Katy Williams returns as the lone upperclassman and ranks fourth all-time in the weight throw and third in the discus. Sophomore Amy Hill ranks among the top 10 in YSU history in six different events while her sister Lindsey Hill holds that distinction in three events. Freshman Bethany Anderson is only 1/4 of an inch away from setting the school mark in the shot put and ranks third in the weight throw while sophomore transfer Lindsay Cobey ranks ninth al-time in the weight throw.