The Yellow Jacket women's team will seek to continue their OAC Championship run this year both indoors and outdoors. The B-W women have won 16 of the past 18 OAC indoor titles, including an OAC-record 16 straight from 1988 through 2002. Outdoors, the Yellow Jacket women have won 16 of the past 19 titles, including two OAC-record streaks of seven years each (1988-1994 and 1996-2002).
Returning to this year's women's team are nine seniors,12 juniors, 14 sophomores and 13 talented newcomers. Leading the women's team are junior All-American Kara Weaver (Mytrle Creek, Ore./ South Umpqua) and sophomore Kristen Paulsen (Oberlin/ Firelands). Both participated in the NCAA Division III National Championship meet last year. Weaver returns as an All-American in the long jump and is the current outdoor school-record holder and OAC outdoor champion. Paulsen returns this year with experience as a national competor in the heptathlon and as a national qualifier in both the 55-meter and 100-meter hurdles.
Other national qualifiers include senior school-record holder Angela Gruss (Tiffen/ Calvert) in the pole vault, sophomore Megan Cathcart (Parma/ Senior) in the high jump and sophomore Jeanne Osborne (Oak Harbor) in the 100-meter hurdles. The 4 x 100-meter relay team also qualified for nationals last year and returns Weaver and seniors Mary Griglak (Berea/ Lutheran West) and Liz Redd (North Canton/ Glen Oak).
Each women's event group returns strong leaders
Leading the way in the throwing events are senior Megan McDannel (Berea), who is the current school-record holder in the weight throw and All-OAC honoree in the discus; senior Kim Lammers (Liberty Center), who is a returning All-OAC honoree in the shot put; and senior Amy Mauceri (Solon), who is a returning All-OAC honoree in the discus
Griglak and Redd both return as outstanding senior sprinters along with Weaver. Griglak will seek to defend her OAC titles indoor in the 300-meter dash and both the indoor and outdoor 400-meter dash and as a member of the school and OAC-record 4 x 200 meter relay team. Redd is also a returning member of the 4 x relay and adds depth inside at 55 and 300 meters and outdoors from the 100 to 400-meter dash. Osborne, the OAC runner-up in both the 55 and 100-meter hurdle events as a freshman, and Paulsen, who had the fastest 55-meter hurdle time on the team last year, return to lead the hurdlers.
In the jumping events in addition to Weaver, Gruss was the OAC runner-up in the pole vault indoors. In the high jump, Cathcart is back after finishing third indoors and being the OAC champion outdoors. Returning to led the distance squad is junior Megan Via (Brookville) who placed in both the 1000-meter run and the 1500-meter run last year at the OAC indoor meet, was the runner-up at 1500 meters outdoors and earned All-OAC accolades in cross country this fall.
Incoming freshman who are expected to make an impact are Ashley Scullion (Kentwood, Mich./ East Kentwood) in the 800 and 1500 meter runs, Alanna Roark (Elyria/ Elyria Catholic) in the pole vault and Rebekah Paul (Gibsonburg) and Andrea Phillips (Akron/ Manchester) in the 400 and 500-meter dashes.
The Yellow Jacket men's team will be much-improved and returns four seniors, 11 juniors, nine sophomores and has 14 incoming freshmen.
Leading the men's team are senior weigtman Josh Svenson (Wadsworth), juniors Steve Johnson (Canton/ Central Catholic), Ben Price (Cleveland/ John Marshall), and sophomores James Harris-Chappell (Jefferson/ Area), Aaron Apathy (Parma/ Padua) and D.J. Hanigosky (North Royalton/ Cleveland St. Ignatius).
Each event group also returns key members.
Svenson, who competes primarily in the shot put returns this year to lead the throwers. The sprinters are led by Chappell who placed eighth at the OAC meet in the 55-meter dash. Price was the eighth place OAC finisher indoor and fourth place finisher outdoors in the triple jump. Johnson was sixth both indoors and outdoors in the pole vault. Apathy and Hanigosky will lead the middle and distance corps. Apathy was fourth in the OAC in the 800-meter run, and Hanigosky placed in both the 1000 and 1500 meter races at the OAC indoor meet.
Incoming athletes who are expected to make an impact for the Yellow Jackets are sophomore transfer Josh Biggs (North Royalton) in the 3000 and 5000 meter races and freshmen Danny Savage (North Canton/ Hoover) in the long jump, J.P. Kraft (Bolivar/ Tuscarawas Central Catholic) in the sprints, Alan Kidon (Chardon) in the 400, 500 and 800 meter races, and Nate Bowen (Fremont/ Ross) and Derek Hill (Fremont/ Ross) in the 1500 to 5000 meter races.
The Yellow Jacket indoor track teams open the schedule on January 13 and will have their first home meet on Friday, January 20 in the Lou Higgins Center and on the Harrison Dillard Track at 5:30 p.m. B-W also will host its annual Mid-February Meet on Feb. 10 and the annual Greater Cleveland College Indoor Championship Meet on Feb. 17.
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