Previewing The 2009-10 Women's Track & Field Team

11/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field

Nov. 23, 2009

QUEENS, N.Y. - Head coach Jim Hurt is in his 21st season at the helm of the St. John's women's cross country and track & field programs. This season, the track & field team will once again be competing against some of the nation's best talent. They will look for a talented incoming freshman class to contribute to a veteran squad that has exhibited championship-caliber performances in the past few years.

The Red Storm returns a core group of track & field athletes that won a second consecutive Metropolitan Outdoor Championship last year and set four new school records. Seniors Asia Davy, Fayanne Francis, and Asia Nettles join Sarah Fry and Pamela Petruski to lead an experienced group of juniors and sophomores who hope to continue the strong Red Storm track & field tradition.

Sprints and Relays: The St. John's sprint corps looks to build on a strong tradition of success in the relay events as it returns the All-EAST 4x100-meter unit of Bintou Dibba, Rene Cousins, Vanessa Thompson and Priscilla Frederick, which finished 7th at the ECAC Outdoor Championships last May.

Assistant Coach Yvonne Harrison will count on Nettles, who finished second in the 400-meter dash at the Metropolitan Outdoor Championships last year, to be the points leader in the individual sprint events. She will team with Cousins, Davy and junior Lauren Wynter in the 400-meter and 500-meter races.

Davy, Nettles, Cousins, Thompson and Wynter all formed a solid 4x400-meter relay team that earned points in BIG EAST competition last season. The Red Storm will welcome freshmen Rikka Lovely, Molly Ellis, and Latrice Hampton to an already strong sprint unit.

Distance: The Red Storm returns three runners from a 4x800-meter relay team that placed sixth in the BIG EAST last season in juniors Kim Piard, Shakira Best and Sarah Sudbury.

St. John's will field a deep group of runners in the 800-meter, 1,000-meter, 1,500-meter and the 4x800-meter relay and the distance medley relay. Sophomores Nicole Cocozza and Aryon Trujillo will run alongside newcomers Stephanie Barnes and Alexis Bean.

Last year, Fry and Lori Dougherty were Metropolitan scorers in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races while Kayla Regulski and Katrina Schaefer were much improved as sophomores.

Jumps and Hurdles: The Red Storm boasts a stellar group of hurdlers and jumpers that will look to be successful at every level of competition this season. The group is headlined by NCAA finalist Priscilla Frederick. Frederick was one of the best young high jumpers in the nation last year, placing 6th at the USA Indoor Championships, 16th at the USA Outdoor Championships, 14th at the NCAA Indoor Championships and 16th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. An NCAA finalist, All-BIG EAST, All-ECAC and All-NCAA REGIONAL honoree, Frederick will continue to lead this successful group in her junior season.

Dibba, who returns as the Metropolitan Indoor champion in the long jump, will team with Frederick in the pit events as well as the senior Francis and freshmen Ellis and Barnes. Francis finished first overall at the Fordham Opener in the long jump.

Davy returns for her senior season leading the hurdling corps as the 2009 Metropolitan Outdoor 400-meter intermediate hurdle champion. Thompson will return to be a factor in the 100-meter hurdles.

Throws: Sophomore Chanel King and junior Courtney Kolinsky will once again anchor the throwing events this season. King won Metropolitan titles in both the shot put and discus last year. That duo will welcome freshman Ashley Walker as they look to carry on the Red Storm championship tradition in the throwing events.

Schedule: The indoor season will see St. John's competing at Yale, Penn State, Princeton and Boston University. The indoor BIG EAST Championships will again be held the third week of February (Feb. 20-21) at the Armory in New York City.

This year's outdoor season kicks off with a trip to South Carolina for the Coastal Carolina Invite (March 19-20) followed by trips to Rice (March 27) and Miami (April 11). St. John's will aim to defend its back-to-back titles at the Metropolitan Championships (April 17), before traveling to Cincinnati for the BIG EAST Championships (May 1-3). The Red Storm hopes to return to the NCAA Championships this year which will be held at the University of Oregon (June 9-12).