Feb. 1, 2005
SAN DIEGO - After losing two of the most successful student-athletes ever to don the scarlet and black in Nicole Ireland and Tonette Dyer, the primary question facing this year's San Diego State track and field squad is who is going to step up?
Under 14th-year head coach Rahn Sheffield, the Aztecs return only nine of 17 letterwinners from last year's outdoor team, which posted the squad's best team finish (27th) at nationals in Sheffield's tenure. SDSU lost two multi-All-Americans to graduation in Ireland (five-time selection) and Dyer (four-time winner), but hopes their legacy will be carried on by a solid core of returning athletes and a bright list of newcomers.
"You can't replace a Tonette Dyer or a Nicole Ireland," Aztec head coach Rahn Sheffield said. "They've run some of the fastest times in the world. What you can do is start a new foundation and that is where our direction is this year."
Overall, Sheffield and the SDSU coaching staff still feels that this year's squad will compete for the Mountain West Conference title, which the Aztecs won in 2003.
One All-American returns in junior Bianca McNair, giving SDSU a solid starting point. Throw in three others who competed at the 2004 NCAA meet (senior captain Shayla Balentine, senior Heather Heron and junior Larnie Boyd) and the Aztecs have a good base for another MWC championship run.
"Our goal is to always win conference," Sheffield said. "It's going to be tough, but we need to identify the athletes early who are going to step up and show others that SDSU can still compete."
SPRINTS
Although SDSU might not be as strong in the sprints as they have been in recent years, two returnees and a talented group of newcomers should give Aztec fans a reason to be optimistic.
Heron and Boyd head the list of versatile returnees who should lead the sprinting group in 2005.
"Heather will be strong once again for us in both the sprints and hurdles and, while Larnie should contend for a title in the 400," Aztec assistant Jennifer Nanista said.
Although Heron's best event may be the hurdles, her versatility is apparent as she competes in many relays as well. In fact, she is a member of the second-fastest 400 and 1,600-relays in SDSU history, with the former taking first at the 2004 MWC outdoor meet.
Boyd was third at the MWC meet in the 400, posting the seventh-fastest time in Aztec history (54.01), and joined Heron in the victorious 400-meter relay at the same meet.
Highlighting the strong newcomers will be freshmen Brittani Dudley, Sherraine Pencil and Mandy Upuu.
Dudley will help SDSU in everything from the 100 to the 400 with the biggest upside coming in the 400, where she ran a 54.66 and earned high school All-America honors four consecutive years. She also twice competed at junior nationals.
"Brittani may be the biggest surprise for us this year," Sheffield said. "She is very focused and I expect big things from her."
Pencil, a talented sprinter who will help in the relay events, was the 2003 provincial champion in the 100 in Toronto, Ontario.
Upuu could be the top sprinter for the Aztecs in 2005. She took four years off after high school and in only six months of training, ran a 54.43 in the 400, which would already put her in the SDSU top-10.
"Mandy is an untapped talent," Nanista said. "We can't wait to see what she does when she reaches her full potential."
McNair, a junior, hopes to return to her form from her 2003 All-America season after suffering a knee injury a year ago.
Senior transfer Tori Respass-Parsons, sophomore Vonnie Fulford and freshman Raquel Butler will add depth in the sprinting and relay events.
Middle Distance
The middle distance events should be stronger for the Aztecs in 2005, with the addition of sophomore Manhattan College transfer Lisa Naucler.
Naucler, a Ljusdal, Sweden, native, took silver medalist honors in the 1,500 at the 2002 Outdoor Youth Finnkampen after earning silver medals in the 800 and 1,500-meter events at the 2001 Swedish National Outdoor Championships. Her personal best times of 2:10 in the 800 and 4:35 in the 1,500 would put her near the SDSU top-10 in both events.
The Aztecs' top mid-distance runner in 2004, junior Jamillah Titus, returns for a third season on the Mesa, hoping to duplicate her success from the past two years.
Titus was the team's fastest runner in the 800 and second-best in the 1,500 as a sophomore.
Her 2003 times of 2:08.90 (800) and 4:34.16 (1,500) are fourth and 10th, respectively, in SDSU history. Titus capped her sophomore campaign with a fifth-place finish in the 800 at the MWC outdoor meet.
Sophomore Celeste Tyson will hope her early season success in cross country carries on to the track. Tyson posted the Aztecs' fastest 5K time of 19:31 at the Fresno Invitational and finished in the top-five on the team five times.
"Celeste had a good cross country season, despite her late season illness," Nanista said. "The progress that I saw in the fall makes me believe she will do very well in the 1,500." Junior
Nicole Carmier will be expected to step up in the 800, while junior Jackie Duncan, sophomore Nicole Rothert and freshmen Jenna Loftus and Briana Powell could be factors as well.
Distance
After a breakout cross country season for junior Christal Cuadra, coupled with the return of senior Marie Nilsson and the addition of sophomore transfer Lital Azulay, the distance events could be the most improved area in 2005.
"It will be interesting to see what the three will do training hard together," Nanista said. "The three should be able to cover everything from the steeplechase to the 10,000, and hopefully, we can get some points at the conference meet from the distance athletes."
Cuadra was SDSU's top finisher in all six races she ran during the cross country season culminating with a 14th-place finish at the MWC championships, which earned her second-team all-MWC honors. She followed that up with the fifth-fastest 6K time in Aztec history with a 55th-place performance at the NCAA regional meet (22:00).
"Christal has really found herself over the last six months," Nanista said. "The confidence she has gained should lead to faster times on the track."
Nilsson, SDSU's top distance runner from 2004, hopes to return from an injury that sidelined her for many months. Nilsson had team outdoor bests and all-time Aztec efforts in the 1,500 (4:32.03, seventh), steeplechase (10:23.34), 3,000 (9:39.01, fourth) and the 5,000 (16:43.56, fifth), and finished third in the steeplechase at the MWC outdoor meet. Indoors, Nilsson set school records in the mile (5:10.91) and 3,000 (9:44.80).
"I'm optimistic that Marie will be fine for the outdoor season," Nanista said. "She has cross-trained like crazy and the competition on the team will help her come along. I look for her to qualify for nationals."
Azulay brings a wealth of international experience in her first season on The Mesa. She currently holds the Israeli national junior records in the 5K (17:57.11) and the half-marathon (1:25:22), and the Israeli national indoor record in the 5K (18:15.45). Azulay also ranks among the Israeli all-time top 10 in many events, including the 5K (fourth),10K (fifth), marathon (ninth) and the 3K (10th). She was Israeli's 2003 national champion in the 5K, as well. In one full year at Coastal Carolina, Azulay earned all-Big South accolades once in cross country and in two events apiece in indoor and outdoor track.
"Lital is currently running some pretty high mileage," Nanista said. "I think our program her will really develop her speed which should produce even faster times."
Senior Emily Joller, junior Christian Fairing, sophomores Ali Baker and Sara Cates, and freshmen Brookie Detterman and Anne Vieira will also contribute for SDSU.
Hurdles
While SDSU may lack depth in the hurdles, it certainly doesn't lack skill. Heron will be expected to provide the majority of points for the Aztecs in the hurdle events, a year after qualifying for the NCAA meet in the 100 hurdles.
Heron placed third at the MWC outdoor championship in both the 100 and 400 hurdle events. In her first season at SDSU, she ran times in the 100 hurdles (13.26) and 400 hurdles (59.32), which ranked her seventh and eighth, respectively, on the all-time Aztec list. She also ran the fifth-fastest indoor time in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking an 8.53.
Sophomore Janine Polischuk could also score points in both hurdle events for SDSU. She competed at the MWC outdoor meet in the 100 hurdles, taking fifth (14.40), as well as the 400 hurdles.
"Considering that Janine ran the 400 hurdles while injured (1:00.72) is very impressve," Nanista said. "I can't wait to see what she does when she is healthy."
Pole Vault
The highlight of the 2005 squad will most likely be the pole vaulters. SDSU returns two vaulters who will compete for the MWC title along with an impact freshman, giving the Aztecs a legitimate shot of sending three to NCAAs.
"We have three athletes who have cleared 13 feet and each could win conference," Nanista said. "We expect the vaulters to earn many points for us throughout the season."
Senior Shayla Balentine returns for her final season on The Mesa, having already tallied both the school's indoor and outdoor records. She will look to qualify for her third NCAA outdoor championship meet, after competing in 2002 and 2004. The 2002 MWC indoor and outdoor winner, Balentine finished fourth in each event a year ago. Her outdoor leap of 13-3.5 ranked her 34th in the United States and 150th in the world in 2004.
"Shayla has a lot energy and is our team captain this season," Sheffield said. "She really started our team out in the right frame of mind and I think her leadership qualities will help our young athletes."
Classmate Erin Asay, the 2004 MWC indoor champion in the pole vault, will hope to qualify for the national meet in her second season at SDSU. She had Aztec all-time jumps of 13-0.25 indoors (second) and outdoors (third).
"Erin has already picked up where she left off last year and hasn't lost a beat," Nanista said.
Freshman Monica Pacas joins SDSU as the only high school junior in 2003 to clear 13-0. She was a three-time California state finalist and placed fifth in 2002 and 2003 at junior nationals.
"Monica will do very well working with Shayla and Erin," Nanista said. "There is no reason she won't challenge for a MWC title."
Senior Julie Hudlow and freshmen Joanna Burley and Christin Shibley each add depth and have the potential to clear 12-0.
Jumps
The Aztecs will hope to squeeze out some points once again at the MWC meet in the jumping events.
SDSU's top high jumper, Titus, returns after clearing an NCAA regional qualifying height, of 5-8 and taking fifth at the MWC outdoor meet as a sophomore. The jump is tied for seventh on the Aztec all-time list.
Carmier also returns to SDSU for her third season on the Mesa, having finished tied for seventh at the MWC outdoor meet and clearing 5-5.
Sixth-place finisher at the MWC outdoor meet and do-it-all Polischuk returns as the top long jumper from a year ago. Her leap of 19-0.5 is ninth-best on the Aztec all-time list.
Polischuk is also the top returnee in the triple jump after competing in the event at the 2004 MWC outdoor meet.
The top newcomer is junior transfer Naonka Mixon, whose personal-best jumps of 5-9 in the high jump, 19-10 in the long jump and 41-2 in the triple jump would put her on the Aztec all-time top-10 list in all three events.
"NaOnka might be our best jumper," Nanista said. "She is very mature and probably the best overall jumper we have had here in a very long time."
Senior Jennifer Greene and freshman Ashtyn Gibson will add some depth to the jumping events.
Throws
The throwing events will be the achilles heel for SDSU in 2005, with Polischuk being the only Aztec expected to compete in the throws.
Polischuk, however, did take seventh at the MWC outdoor meet a year ago in the javelin with a toss of 132-10.
"We really just have Janine in the javelin right now," Nanista said. "The throws are an area where we are very much looking to improve."
Multi-Events
With the MWC freshman of the year and defending MWC heptathlon champion, Polischuk returning for her second season, the multi-events could be one of the strongest events for the Aztecs in 2005.
Polischuk's 5,210 points at the 2004 MWC outdoor meet is the sixth-best on the SDSU all-time list. She also competed at the MWC outdoor meet in the 100-high hurdles (fifth), 400-hurdles, long jump (sixth), triple jump (10th) and the javelin throw (seventh). At the indoor MWC meet, Polischuk placed fifth in the pentathlon with 3,237 points, fourth-most all-time by an Aztec. She was also a two-time Canadian junior national champion and 2001 12th-place finisher at the world youth championships in the heptathlon.
"We expect Janine to challenge for a spot at NCAAs this season," Nanista said.
Carmier and Mixon also could compete in the multi-events this season for SDSU.
Schedule
After a limited indoor schedule, the real season begins for the Aztecs when they hit the outdoor track on March 12, for the San Diego City Championships. The squad will then play host to its only home meet of the year, the Aztec Classic on March 19, before it travels to the Florida Relays (March 25-26).
Two cross country journeys to the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla. (March 25-26) and the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tenn. (April 8-9) sandwich the team's trip to the CS Northridge 5-Way on April 2.
SDSU then travels to the prestigious Mt. SAC relays (April 13-16) in Walnut, Calif., and the Penn Relays (April 28-29) in Philadelphia, Pa.
The Aztecs stay in California for the next three weekends, before the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships, which will be held in Fort Collins, Colo., from May 11-14.
Following a week off, the Aztecs look to qualify for the national meet at the NCAA west regional, scheduled for May 27-28 in Eugene, Ore. The NCAAs round out the collegiate year, June 8-11, in Sacramento, Calif.