Hamline University’s women’s track team returns a solid core of athletes and expects its underclassmen to make big strides early and score for the team this season. This close-knit team, both on and away from the track, will look to improve on its 10th place ranking following the outdoor season in 2004. Hamline placed eighth at the MIAC indoor championships last March.
Led by co-captains senior Danielle St. Louis (Hales Corners, Wis.) and junior Kiedra Anderson (Minocqua, Wis.), this young crew has great potential. Coach Kelly O’Hara said, “The team has an unbelievable cohesiveness which, combined with the talent of our athletes, will take this team far.”
One strength of this year’s squad is depth in its distance runners. Anderson, who took second in the 5000-meter run last year (fifth indoors) and was an all-conference selection in cross-country this fall and qualified for the national championships, will be joined by sophomore Lacee Schrupp (Becker, Minn.), and sophomore Melissa Francis (Windom, Minn.). Schrupp scored at last year’s outdoor championships in the 1500-meter run and joined Anderson as an all-conference selection in cross-country this fall.
High expectations are set for incoming first-year Sara Burns (LeSueur, Minn.), a state qualifier in the 800-meter run her farewell season at LeSueur-Henderson High School. Burns is also a member of the Piper volleyball team. Adding numbers to the distance events roster are junior Sara Warnke (Winona, Minn.), sophomores Monica Moreland (Plymouth, Minn.), Jackie Lawrence (Edina, Minn.) and Haden Bowie (New Glarus, Wis.), and first-years Victoria Bibeau (Newport, Minn.) Minn.nn.is.) and Rachel Rockwood (Roseville, Minn.).
The team anticipates great seasons from multi-event athletes senior Danielle St. Louis (Hales Corners, Wis.), sophomore Dana Luiken (Chatfield, Minn.) and first-year Angie Asmus (Plymouth, Minn.). O’Hara has given high praise to Luiken’s improvement since last year, who scored for Hamline in the heptathlon (outdoors). Asmus has the ability to score in the shot and javelin this season and will look to join Luiken in the pentathlon and heptathlon events. Joining Asmus in throwing events will be sophomores Amanda Jones (Winsted, Minn.) and Heather Sublet (Brooklyn Park, Minn.). Jones qualified for the NCAA outdoor national championships last season in the discus with a throw of 140-3. Junior Angela Krebsbach (Hastings, Minn.) and sophomore Aryn Arnold (Winona, Minn.) will compete in the pole vault while multi-event athlete Luiken will cover the sprint hurdle events. St. Louis owns three conference titles in the high jump qualifying her for the NCAA national championships in both 2003 and 2004 (indoors 2003 and 2004, outdoors 2003)
Admittedly thin in the sprinting events, Hamline will miss the efforts of graduated athletes Christine Walsten and Corrin Hoffman. Walsten set three school records in the long jump, triple jump, and 100-meter dash, while playing a crucial role in both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams. Hoffman, also a 4x400-meter relay team member, competed in the 800-meter run. St. Louis will lead a young contingent of sprinters including junior Katherine Vogel (Hamberg, Minn.), sophomore Holly Severson (Maplewood, Minn.).
This team will benefit from Hamline’s multi-sport athletes to join the team for the spring outdoor season. The increase in number of athletes competing and scoring in the conference meet will be crucial for the women’s track team to attain the goal of breaking into the top eight teams in the MIAC conference in May.
