The San Diego State track and field program's successful 2001 season may seem bittersweet. Many of its heavy hitters from a year ago, those who helped the program turn in one of its finest seasons in over a decade, have graduated.
All-Americans Aja Frary and Daveetta Shepherd, who represented the Aztecs at the NCAA Championships, have left.
Aimee Crabtree, who set a school- and Mountain West Conference record in the pole vault and Promise Mose, who was instrumental in helping the Aztecs win the 2001 Cal-Nevada Championships, are gone.
When the team lines up this season a total of 10 letterwinners from a year ago will not be present.
"There is no question that we lost a lot of talent when last year's seniors graduated," said head coach Rahn Sheffield, who enters his 11th season in charge of the program. "But last year's success also had a lot to do with our strong supporting class. We will be treating this as a rebuilding year, but we have plenty to build on so it's hard to view it as such."
The team's 2002 roster features 13 upperclassmen and a large group of transfers that Sheffield feels confident will fill the void.
"Last year was exciting and we exceeded our goals," said Sheffield. "But this year will be exciting in that new athletes will move into the spotlight and have a chance to prove themselves. Our job as a coaching staff will be to help them step out of the shadow of last year's award winners."
Sprints
With the likes of LaTanya Sheffield and Miesha McKelvy gracing the school record book, saying SDSU has established a history of excellence in the sprinting events would be an understatment. Expect more of the same this season.
Pacing the group will be junior Melinda Smedley, who ran the Mountain West Conference's top time in the 100 meters (11.80) last year and earned 13 top-five finishes including silver medals in the 100 and 200 meters at the MWC's outdoor championships.
"Melinda is a proven winner," said Sheffield. "This year she needs to take it to the next level, meaning getting to the NCAAs."
Also expected to make an impact and push to qualify for nationals is sophomore transfer Tonette Dyer, who hails from Shreveport, La. Dyer comes to the Mesa after spending a season at Louisiana-Monroe where she was an all-Southland Conference selection.
"Tonette made the move to San Diego State because she felt there would be more options for her here," said Sheffield. "She is a very talented athlete who should be able to thrive in our facility."
Junior Jini Hogg and sophomore Jillita Griffin also return to the sprint corps. Both scored points at last year's league championships, Hogg in the 400 meters and Griffin in the 100 and 200 meters.
Pole Vault
The Aztecs look to build on last season's successful campaign in the pole vault, a year in which senior Aimee Crabtree set a school- and conference-record mark of 13-2.25.
Headlining this year's squad is senior co-captain Patricia Gutierrez. Gutierrez placed second behind Crabtree in the vault (12-9.00) at the 2001 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships after qualifying provisionally for the NCAA's with a 12-7.50 mark earlier in the season.
"Patricia is one of our leaders," said Sheffield. "She has been through this before and I'm counting on her showing the others the way."
Competing alongside Gutierrez will be freshman Shayla Balentine, from Los Osos, Calif. Balentine is one of the country's most promising young pole vaulters and set the national high school record of 13-8.00 in the event in 2001. She was featured in the January 2002 issue of Track and Field News as a prize recruit.
Said Sheffield, "When faced with a challenge, some athletes ask God to move the mountain. Shayla is one who asks God to give her the strength to climb the mountain herself."
Also in the mix will be junior Jesika Englebretson, a transfer standout from nearby Cuyamaca College.
Multi-Events
The resident competitor in the heptathlon in 2002 will be junior Leslie Miller.
Miller, from Humble, Texas, placed seventh in the heptathlon at last year's MWC meet after competing in the event only twice prior due to a quad injury.
"Leslie has recovered from last season's injury and is ready to go," said Sheffield. "She's another athlete who can go as far as she wants."
Hurdles
Miller will also see time in the 100 and 400 hurdles. She placed eighth in the hurdles at the MWC outdoor championships last season.
Junior Ryan Peters, from Oakland, will also compete in the hurdles. Peters has yet to compete in the collegiate track ranks after spending a redshirt season at University of Arizona and sitting out last season after transfering to the Aztec squad.
Throws
Handling the throwing events for the Aztecs this season is junior and San Diego product Candace Hill. Hill, who transferred from Arizona State last season, looks to improve on a successful sophomore campaign that saw her set the program's eighth-best distance in the discus, throwing 145-11.00 at the Florida Relays.
"Candace has shown much promise for someone who is so new to the sport," said Sheffield. "We are happy to have her back home where she feels comfortable."
Hill is definitely comfortable competing at the SDSU Sports Deck, winning the discus and and shot put at last year's SDSU quad meet. She also placed fourth in the shot put (47-7.25) at the Mountain West championships.
New to the throws in 2002 will be junior college transfer Lindsey Smith.
Distance
SDSU lists 11 athletes in its distance category in 2002, with all of them being transplants from the Aztecs' cross country squad.
Highlighting the distance group is junior Alicia Stewart. The Costa Mesa native ran the Aztecs' best time in both the 3,000 meters (10:21.00) and 5,000 meters (18:09.00) a season ago.
"Alicia is one of our more versatile runners," said Sheffield. "She is another one of our veteran leaders who has the ability to really achieve great things."
Sheffield also expects great things from junior Jennifer Stakiw, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Stakiw is easily the most versatile of the distance batch, having run in the 400 meters, 800 meters, 1,500 meters, 3,000 steeplechase and dabbling in the 400 hurdles.
"Having an athlete who is so versatile and has so much across-the-board experience is so valuable," said Sheffield. "It has a huge advantage for us in terms of scoring points."
And score points she can. She ran the team's best time (11:22.68) in the 3,000 steeplechase and had the team's second-fastest times in the 800 (2:13.10) and 1,500 meters (4:46.31) last year. But her most remarkable performance of the year however might have been her third-place clocking of 1:03.89 in the 400 hurdles at the Florida Relays.
Seniors Amanda Vielbaum and Hillery Gemmill, along with sophomore Allison Brown, will also help bolster the group after having strong seasons on the cross country circuit.
Jumps
The Aztecs jump contingent features several newcomers, but that doesn't have Sheffield worried.
"There is as much raw talent as there is youth at this position," said Sheffield, "The youthfulness means they will be open-minded to the suggestions of the coaches and time won't be wasted on unteaching bad habits."
The rookies in the event will be Alisha Lasswell, Jennifer Greene and Megan Schauermann. Schauermann has spent the last two seasons as a middle blocker on the Aztecs' volleyball team.
Lasswell, who comes to the Mesa from Kilbride, Ontario, placed third in the high jump at the 2000 Canadian junior nationals.
Schedule
A tradition of the Aztec program is to maintain a schedule that has the team competing against many of the west coast's top programs The 2002 slate is no different.
The scarlet and black will host a pair of meets at its two-year-old on campus facility the Choc Sportsman Oval at the SDSU Sports Deck.
On March 23, the facility will host the Aztec Track and Field Classic. The event is expected to feature close to 750 athletes on both the men's and women's side, the largest field for the 24th-annual event.
"The Aztec Classic has traditionally been a big draw for us," said Sheffield. "And now everyone wants to compete at our new facility. Our surface is one of the fastests on the west coast and people know they will leave that meet with very good times."
The Aztecs' other home meet, the All-Women-Invitational, will be held on April 13.
SDSU will attempt to defend its crown at the Cal-Nevada Championships, to be held March 29-30 in Fresno. The program won the 2001 event, outdistancing the likes of California, Nevada and UCLA.
The squad will also make the annual trip to the Mt. SAC Relays in April and is also scheduled to compete at the Texas Invitational on May 4.
The Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships will be held in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 15-18. The league's indoor championship will also be held in Colorado Springs in February.
"Every season is exciting and things happen that you weren't expecting," said Sheffield. "I'm excited to see who will rise to the occasion this season."
Let the games begin.