Terrier Women Eye Conference Crowns in 2009-10
December 2, 2009 | Women's Track & Field
Dec. 2, 2009
By all accounts, 2008-09 was a successful season for the women’s track and field program. Three All-Americans, an indoor conference championship and multiple school and conference records were among the accolades the track and field program earned a year ago. Never one to rest on her laurels, director of track and field and cross country Robyne Johnson believes her team can match and surpass the accomplishments attained last year, including capturing the outdoor conference title which eluded her squad in the spring of 2009.
“We’ve won the indoor conference title the last four years in a row and are looking to make it five,” said Johnson. “But one never knows, so we’re going to make every effort and perform as if we’re the underdog. When you’re on top like that, everyone knows it, everyone is gunning for you. So we’re going to do our best to stay where we are by using everyone we can.”
While the loss of All-American Tahari James will have a sizeable effect on the BU sprint and jump squads, Johnson is confident that the athletes on the 2009-10 roster will still be able to score significant points. Leading the pack in the sprints will be senior Whitney Ford, who competed in every event that James did last season, save the 4x400 relay. A stellar performance at the 2008 America East Indoor Championships, where she won the 55m and the long jump and placed second in the triple jump and third in the 200m, has Johnson optimistic about Ford’s upcoming season.
“Whitney is a prime example of someone who can do a lot of things for our team,” said Johnson. “She’s quickly becoming an influence and a force and she was very competitive for us last year. She trained very well over the summer, she looks to be in very good shape, she is taking instruction well and I think this may be a break-through year for her. She’s quite a bright spot and I think she can repeat.”
Sophomore Shelby Walton represents another strong pillar in the sprint ranks as she will run relays with Ford while competing in the sprints and possibly the long jump as well. Johnson believes that by competing against each other, Walton and Ford can push one another to up point totals for the team.
“They’re both very competitive and they’ll both be on the relay together but they’ll be competing against each other in the sprint events pretty much all year,” said Johnson. “I think we’re going to see some battles between those two this year in the sprint events.”
Newcomers Nikko Brady and Catherine Milledge add depth to the Terrier relays and will likely compete in various sprint competitions throughout the season. Lauren Martin, Amanda Howard and Jackie Dim bring a strong veteran presence to the relay pool and will help comprise what Johnson hopes will be a high-scoring sprint squad.
The jumps have been the Terriers’ ace in the hole for years now and with the talent returning from last season, it looks as though the jumps will continue to be a strength for the women’s side. Edwina Clark, eligible for the 2010 outdoor season, will join Ford at the front of the BU long jumpers list, which has dominated the conference competition in recent years. Add Brady to that list and Johnson is confident that this year’s lineup of long-jumpers can score major points for BU.
“I think its important to note that we’ve gone at least one, two, three in pretty much every conference meet for the last two or three years, and one time we went one, two, three, four at the outdoor championships in the long jump,” said Johnson. “If we get everyone going, we can go one, two or one, two, three again in the jumps which is always nice.”
The Terriers are nearly as strong in the high jump as they are in the long jump, bringing in freshman Allison Barwise, who has a long family tradition in the event. Said Johnson of Barwise, “she will be an immediate force in our jumps, in our heptathlon and our hurdles. She’s just a very good all-around athlete and we’re expecting her to do big things.”
Veteran Karly Neveu, who has captured the conference title in the event the past two seasons, is the other figure in BU’s potent 1-2 punch in the high jump. Other competitors like Alex Jackson and Sophia Mercandante will likely compete in multiple events, including the triple jump, and could have a presence among the point-scoring jumpers.
The pole vault could also prove to be a point source for BU this season as Fiona Romeri returns for her senior season, having captured championships in indoor and outdoor competitions during her tenure in Boston. Aly Rofrano, a transfer from Texas, and sophomore Alexis Rodriguez bolster the vaulting facet of the team as well.
BU brings a number of impact distance runners to the table, led by All-American Andrea Walkonen, who will compete only during the outdoor season because of eligibility reasons. Last year’s indoor champion in the 3,000m and 5,000m events, Walkonen recorded the second-fastest time in the nation in the 10,000m run (33:13.66) in her first outdoor meet of 2009, but sat out the remainder of the season with an injury. A healthy Walkonen will be a welcome addition to the outdoor roster, but plenty of talent still remains to threaten podiums through the indoor season. Sophomore Katie Matthews is coming off of a third-place finish in the 5,000m at the 2009 Junior Nationals and Sarah Mosser has had a solid cross country season that bodes well for some strong performances on the track.
Nikki Long, Mariko Takahashi, Kathleen Davies and Sarah Healy represent other middle-distance competitors that will give BU a strong presence in distance events through the indoor and outdoor seasons.
While the throws have been an area in need of improvement for BU in the past, Johnson is excited to have some true competitors in those events for the upcoming season. Massachusetts native Lauren Berg joins the Terriers as a threat in both the javelin and the shot put and looks to compete in the weight throw by the end of the season. Junior Jen Fleser returns as the Terriers top thrower, and has impressed coaches with her improvement through her first two years at BU. Freshman Susan Ottey gives the Terriers another point threat in the throws.
After competitions at the Reggie Lewis Center and Harvard’s Gordon Track and Tennis Center, the Boston University Track and Tennis Center will play host to every meet during the indoor season, leading up to the ECAC Championships which will be contested down the road at the Reggie Lewis Center. The Terriers’ outdoor schedule kicks off March 20 at the Husky Invitational in Dedham, Mass., and features meets across the country, including the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla., the Sun Angel Relays in Tempe, Ariz., and the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa.
While the coveted America East outdoor title eluded the women’s team last season after capturing the indoor championship, Johnson and the Terriers are determined to remain the class of the conference and reclaim both titles in 2010.
