Jan. 13, 2003
LEXINGTON, Ky. – As the Kentucky women’s track team enters the 2003 season, it will be looking to capture the same type of success the women’s cross country team enjoyed in the fall with its second-place finish at the SEC Championships. The Wildcats graduated only one Southeastern Conference place-finisher from 2002 and the young, talented UK squad will be looking for its best finish ever this spring.
“We have a really talented group of individuals in our women’s track program right now,” Coach Don Weber said. “This might be the most talented group we have ever had covering all the event areas from top to bottom. We have the ability to be very successful at the SEC and NCAA levels this season. It is going to be exciting.”
The Cats will look to make that move with a group of athletes who have already demonstrated their abilities at the conference and national levels.
In the field events, two-time SEC Champion Janet Crawford will be leading the way in high jump this season. After finishing third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last spring, Crawford earned her first All-America honor.
“It was a very special season for Janet last year,” Weber said. “We will be looking for her to continue her development and add to her streak of two SEC high jump crowns in a row.”Senior Simidele Adeagbo also will be looked upon to be a major contributor this season. Adeagbo finished fourth in the country as a sophomore in the triple jump before an eighth-place showing last year earned her a second All-America honor.
“Simidele is a great competitor and it showed the way she battled back during the season last year to have her best showing at the last meet,” Weber continued. “That was a real confidence booster for her and should propel her to a great start in 2003.”
The field event area also contains a talented group of jumpers and throwers that expect to add to their contributions of a year ago. Junior Molly Lonergan, sophomores Gennessa Guzman and Nicole Allyn and freshman Ildiko Varga will compete in the throws for the Wildcats this season. Lonergan is the school record holder in the discus, while Guzman is the freshman school record holder in the hammer and weight throw. Nicole Allyn throws the weight and hammer and finished fourth at the USA Junior National Championships in the hammer last year. Varga joins the program with a personal best of 174-00.00 in the discus, a mark that would have placed her third in the SEC last year. Junior Kristen Mowrey, a two-time SEC scorer in the multi-events and the school record holder in the heptathlon, and freshman Rachel Kohler, a 5-08.00 high jumper in high school, also are athletes the Wildcats will be counting on this year.
“This group is bursting with talent and we are looking for them to be major contributors this upcoming season,” Weber said. “Each of these athletes has the ability to score very well at the SEC Championships and for us to have the success we are aiming for, we are looking for big things from the field event group this year.”
The women’s middle distance and distance runners made huge strides with their second-place finish at the SEC Cross Country Championships this past fall. It was UK’s best finish since 1989 and the group looks to continue their success at the SEC and NCAA level in indoor and outdoor track competition. Leading the way will be juniors Beth Heimann, Caitlin Phillips and Brooke Patterson. Heimann set the indoor school record in the 800 meters last winter with her personal best time of 2:05.72, the fourth best time in the NCAA, earning Heimann her first trip to the NCAA Championships. She placed fourth at the SEC Championships in the event and also has run the mile, with a 4:54.68 clocking to her name. Phillips has scored at the SEC meet in the 1,500 meters, the mile and the 3,000-meter run and is a two-time All-SEC cross country athlete, garnering fourth-place honors this past fall. Patterson, a transfer from Ohio State, was the fifth-place finisher in the Big Ten Championships in the 800 meters and will look to score in the SEC on the track after a great fall of cross country racing which earned her all-conference honors.
Sophomore Allison Grace, a distance runner who missed the vast majority of track season last year after having surgery, is back to full strength this year. Grace contributed greatly to UK’s fall cross country success, earning All-SEC honors.
Newcomers Leah Kerstetter, Jackie Wagner and Roseline Addo all have the ability to contribute in their first year in the program as well.
“This group of athletes made great strides this past fall with their showing during the cross country season,” Weber said. “It is a testament to their desire for success. They have the interest and want to be successful and it is going to show this track season.”
The sprint group at UK has a group of talented veterans mixed with some outstanding freshmen who hope to break into the SEC ranks. Elmetta Johnson and Olubusola Adeagbo will lead the Wildcat speedsters into the 2003 season. Johnson has set a personal best every season with the Wildcats and was an SEC finalist in the 60-meter hurdles as a freshman. Adeagbo has made dramatic improvement during her years in Lexington in both the 400 meters and 400-meter hurdles, where she just missed the SEC finals last spring. The newcomers include freshmen Takia Brooks, Talonda Ingram, Kenya Patton and Kendra Patton.
“We are looking forward to watching our sprinters develop into SEC-caliber athletes while our upperclassmen continue their development,” Weber said. “Elmetta and Olubusola have made tremendous strides during their UK careers and will be great leaders for our freshmen. From the dashes to the 4 x 400-meter relay, we are going to be vastly improved during the 2003 season and are counting on some great performances from all of our athletes.”
