2003-04 Men's Track and Field Outlook

01/01/04

- William and Mary track and field enters the 2004 season poised for another stellar campaign. Director of Track and Field Dan Stimson and first year head coach Alex Gibby have assembled a deep, talented team which will once again challenge for the conference title in addition to sending athletes to postseason championships. With its depth, the Tribe looks to repeat its dominance in the CAA, which saw the squad set a record score at the 2003 championship meet on the strength of eight individual titlists. With a team packed with conference champions, scorers and all-conference honorees, the Tribe is positioned to continue its success.

Traditionally the hallmark of the program, the distance corps is primed for another season of excellence. Led by three-time All-American Ed Moran, a wealth of proven veterans and talented up-and-comers will continue the Tribe's elite distance racing.

Racing to All-America status with a fifth-place finish in the 5,000m at the outdoor NCAAs last year, Moran aims to better the performances which earned him the title of CAA Male Athlete of the Year. An All-East performer with a runner-up finish in the 5,000m at outdoor IC4As, the graduate student bettered his personal record in the event by 30 seconds last season.

Senior Jacob Frey makes a much-anticipated return to the lineup for the track season, after not competing in cross country. Frey, an All-East honoree after an impressive fourth in the 10,000m at outdoor IC4As, will anchor the Tribe’s distance effort along with Moran. A spectacular 2003 campaign saw Frey claim the CAA title in the 5,000m in addition to qualifying for the NCAA Regionals.

After making a huge impact as a freshman, Matt Keally is primed to ascend to the top levels of the conference, having already accumulated championship experience with his NCAA Regional qualification. Last year’s CAA Rookie of the Year, Keally raced to All-East honors as a freshman, earning the accolade in 5,000m at the indoor IC4As. The runner-up in the 5,000m at the CAAs, Keally shattered freshman records, setting Tribe marks for the best time in the indoor 5,000m (14:17.87) and outdoor 5,000m (14:22.08).

Jeff Hedley, a multiple-time IC4A qualifier in 2003, will be another distance pillar for the team. An all-conference runner, Hedley will challenge for a conference title after a strong cross country season in which he netted all-region accolades.

Three more outstanding veterans complete the Tribe’s formidable distance front. Junior Charlie Hurt, an IC4A qualifier in the 10,000m and CAA scorer in the 5,000m in 2003, is coming off an all-region cross country season. Adam Otstot, an all-conference harrier this cross country season, claimed third in the 3,000m steeplechase at CAAs last year and won twice during the season. Matt Maline, a former IC4A qualifier, won the 1,500m at the CNU Invite last year, headlining a number of strong postings.

Four sophomores, all of whom scored at conferences as rookies, aim to break through into the upper echelons of the collegiate ranks. Jason Schoener, fourth at CAAs in the 10,000m, claimed fourth at this year’s CAA cross country championship for all-conference honors and was also the squad’s fifth runner at the Southeast Regional. In strong freshman performances, Mike Dominguez captured fourth in the 3,000m steeplechase at conferences, while Brian Doherty took fifth in the 10,000m, and Sean Anastasia-Murphy claimed sixth in the 1,500m.

Other distance veterans to watch include Trevor Cable, Patrick Comstock, an All-CAA cross country honoree, Paul Costello, Jon Healey and Kyle Pawlaczyk.

A strong incoming freshman crop, which has already asserted itself in the cross country season, complements this abundance of veteran talent. CAA Rookie of the Year David Murphy, Tommy Antenucci, Keith Bechtol, Dan Nally and Adam Tenerowicz all ran for the Tribe in cross country and aim to turn success on the grass into results on the track. Additionally, an elite collection of high school runners with championship credentials, including Anthony Arena, Ben Beiter, Steve Hoogland, David Hryvniak, George Ingham, Jonna Reinhardt and Tim Zeckser, look to make a strong debut for the College.

The middle distance lineup faces the most turnover for the Tribe. Standouts Sean Conway, John O’Connor, Josh Watson and Chris Wilber were all lost to graduation, but a group of maturing veterans is set to take their place. With Hedley and Maline expected to split time between distance and middle distance events, Scott Ickes leads the middle distance contingent. A proven veteran, Ickes put together a number of solid finishes in the 800m last season, including an eighth at CAAs. Also headlining the contingent is sophomore Matt Wolak who scored for the team with a fifth in the 800m at conferences. A member of the All-East outdoor 4x800m relay team, Wolak aims to breakthrough in his second year of collegiate running. Robert Pitts, another sophomore, aims to build on a solid season which saw him compete in the 4x800m relay at indoor IC4As while junior Bill Tarantino looks to continue his solid improvement. Bolstering these veterans will be a pedigreed unit of newcomers that includes Steve Gillard, Graham Kearney, Spencer Kirk, Joel Parker and Matt Warco.

The team’s sprint effort is strengthened by the addition of Stephen Cason, a defensive back on the Tribe’s football team, who will be one of the squad’s specialized sprinters. After a year working the long jump, sophomore Justin Benabdallah will concentrate more on the sprints this season while still contributing in the jumps. Sophomore Nathan Chubb and senior Aaron Spicer are also expected to see some action in the dashes outside of their primary events. In the hurdles, sophomore James Hipolit will anchor the squad, after a season highlighted by a runner-up finish in the 400m hurdles at the CNU Invitational.

The jumps contingent is another area where the team will rely on youth. With the graduation of standout Curtis Smith, the squad looks to a duo of sophomores to make an impact. Noah Gabriel-Landis heads the group after a solid freshman campaign that included a third in the long jump at the Tribe Open and a fifth in the triple jump at the VCU Invite. Benabdallah could see action in the long jump after specializing in the event last season, with a best effort of fifth at the Navy meet.

In the pole vault, the College will look to Spicer and Chubb to replace graduate Phil Agee. Spicer, runner-up in the pole vault at the CNU Invitational, finished no worse than ninth in any meet last season in which he posted a height. Chubb had a strong season of vaulting as a freshman, taking fifth place at conferences to score for the team. Newcomers Charles Fritschner and Justin Zamorski are expected to contribute immediately in the event.

In the throws, senior Chris Parsons fronts a deep contingent. A three-time CAA Champion, Parsons qualified for the NCAA Regionals in the hammer last season in addition to earning three IC4A qualifications. Parsons won the shot twice during the indoor season while collecting one win in each the hammer and discus and aims to reclaim a CAA title after finishing second in both the shot and hammer and fifth in the discus in 2003. Aaron Mitchell, the 2003 CAA Champion in the shot, netted one NCAA Regional and two IC4A qualifications last year, in addition to posting an amazing four event wins in the indoor shot in only six meets. Just missing All-East honors with a ninth place in the shot at indoor IC4As, Mitchell is expected to challenge at the highest levels of the conference and region. Andy Smith returns to lead the javelin throwers on the squad, expecting to better an outstanding season that witnessed him capture the CAA title in the javelin in addition to posting NCAA Regional and IC4A qualifications. Adding further depth in the throwing events is Nick Hecker-Thompson, who scored for the team at conferences with a fourth in the shot and sixth in the discus. A versatile thrower, Hecker-Thompson aims to qualify for IC4As after adding distance to his throws during the offseason. Steve Huntzinger, one of the best high-school throwers in the nation, will join these veterans as a six-time state champion.

Spicer, all-conference as runner-up to Agee in the decathlon at the CAA Championship, will anchor the mutli-events.

Stimson, enthusiastic about the Tribe’s prospects, concluded, "We lost some great seniors, but coming off last season, we’ve already had a number of underclassmen step up to score at conferences, and combining our incoming class with our veterans, we’re looking forward to another conference title."