| SEASON PREVIEW FOR 2003 SEASON
LONG BEACH -- The 49er track and field team returns after a strong 2002 season, full of young and improving talent. The team is relatively young with only 12 seniors across the board. In 2003, the 49ers will look to a strong and talented group of throwers and jumpers to lead the team. These two squads have four NCAA qualifiers returning; Serena Boykin (shot put), Emily Forsythe (high jump), Stephanie Sampson (hammer throw), and Cory Loebl (discus). Behind their leadership, and improvements in the sprints and distance groups, the 49ers will look to improve on previous conference finishes, and send more athletes to the NCAA National Championships. DISTANCE
"With the addition of Distance Coach Geoff Masanet, we found the needed ingredient to spice up an already talented distance group. We're on pace to see an increase in national qualifiers and conference finishes." -- Andy Sythe Men
A year older and stronger, the distance program is primed to make more noise in the Big West Conference in 2003. The group is coming off a strong cross country season that saw most of the team improve dramatically. Sophomore Matt Bates, an all-conference 800m runner, will return after a strong freshman year. Bates will contend for all-conference honors in the 800m and 1500m this season, as well as have a shot at the NCAA meet. Cross Country team MVP Terrance Wroblewski, and 2002 team captain Brian Stehmeier will lead the team in the 5000m. Both Wroblewski and Stehmeier were conference qualifiers in the Big West last season. Sophomore Arturo Garcia, a 2002 Big West qualifier in the 1500m, returns as the team's top runner. Women
On the women's side, the 49ers will look to Jennifer Yadon, a USATF Junior National All-American in the steeplechase to lead the team. Yadon is coming off the best individual cross country season in a decade at The Beach. She finished 4th at the Big West Conference Championships and earned all-region honors after finishing 22nd at the NCAA West Regional Championships. Senior Sharon Burnett returns and will lead the team in the middle distances. Sophomore Jaclyn Pedersen, who redshirted the cross country season due to injury, will return as one of the distance squad's top runners this season. Newcomer Shannon Skager will also make an immediate impact in the 800m and 1500m.
HEPTATHLON
"The return of juniors Ami Goldhammer and Nina Grubbs will continue to add strength for our team at the Big West Championships, as well as provide consistent points throughout the season in a variety of events." -- Andy Sythe Ami Goldhammer complimented her heptathlon expertise with a successful javelin season and improved her skills in the hurdles and jumps. Goldhammer set a personal best and new school-record with a throw of 142'5" in the javelin giving her a fourth place finish at conference. She also finished fourth in the heptathlon (4683 points) at the 2002 Big West Championships and is expected to have the same level of improvement as years past. Nina Grubbs, the 2001 Big West Champion and Junior National All-American in the heptathlon, returns to add strength to the jumps and hurdles. Last season, she was a conference qualifier in the high jump, long jump, 110m hurdles and the shot put. She will continue to add depth to these events and continue to improve her marks. JUMPS
"The 49ers have had tremendous success in the jumps and this youthful group provides hope in the ability to continue this success now and for years to come. " -- Andy Sythe Men
Sophomore Haben Hagos returns as the top high jumper in the conference after a successful freshman season. He finished fourth at the conference meet, just missing all-conference honors. Hagos' raw talent is aiding his development in the jump events. With time and consistent development, Hagos could end up winning the Big West in high jump. Sophomore Chaka Cofie returns after a record-breaking freshman year in the long jump and sprints. Cofie broke the freshman long jump record with a leap of 23'8.50". With his combination of speed and spring, Cofie will move up in the rankings in the Big West with ease, and will aid in the 4x100m relay. Ryan Belida returns for his final season after redshirting in 2002 to develop in his event. Belida is the only senior jumper in a young jump group. He's stronger and more fit than ever before and will vie for all-conference accolades in 2003. In the pole vault, a trio of jumpers will fit into the scoring picture for The Beach. Derek Slavik and Beau Beavers begin their track career at Long Beach after redshirting the 2002 season to develop their skills in an effort to reach the medal stand. Freshman Adrian Ruark is poised to finish strong after an impressive pre-season. Women
On the women's side, a plethora of talent is ready and able to contend for top conference honors. School-record holder in the triple jump, Gladys Iwuaba, will return for her final season in the triple jump and long jump. Last season, Iwuaba finished fourth in the collegiate division at the Penn Relays and finished third at the conference championships, earning all-conference honors. Her tremendous improvement in the triple jump is carrying over to the development of her long jump and is expected to see top end conference performances in both. Sophomore Holly Lipscomb has shown great improvements as a long jumper and will contend for top conference honors. Lipscomb will also add depth in the sprints and relays. Christina Lee returns after redshirting the 2002 season in the pole vault. Lee was an NCAA qualifier in the 2001 outdoor season with a mark of 12'5 1/2" and a Big West Championships runner-up in 2000. She will continue to improve and be in the hunt for top conference honors. Emily Forsythe returns in the high jump after a superb freshman season, where she qualified for the NCAA Championships, the Junior National Championships, and finished second in the Big West Championships. Forsythe was hampered by a foot injury the second half of the season, which hindered her training. This season, Forsythe is back healthy and ready to push for the six foot barrier, end up on the top podium spot at the Big West Championships, and return to Nationals with possible All-American honors. SPRINTS
"The sprint squad is loaded with youth and only one senior across both the men's and women's squads. As they continue to build and move forward with improvement we are going to see big things." -- Andy Sythe Men
Jamaal James returns for his senior season to lead the team in the 200m and 400m races. James struggled last season with a hip flexor injury and is completely recovered and ready to vie for a conference championship, qualify for NCAA Regionals and possibly the NCAA Championships. Newcomer Shingo Suzumura, a JC transfer from Golden West will make an immediate impact to the team. Suzumura brings experience to the hurdles and should compete for a conference championship, NCAA Regional and National Championships berth. Both James and Suzumura will add leadership to the relay squads. Aiding in the relay will be Moorpark JC transfer Michael Dickran. Dickran will also provide added strength in the 800m with his speed-based racing style. He has a shot at earning all-conference in the 800m race. The men's relays will look to several newcomers to help make a run for a top-three finish at the conference championships in both the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. Last season, the 49ers men's 4x100m relay squad just missed making the finals at the Penn Relays and look to build on the success of that meet. Women
Charlene Deardorff and Jessica Williams will lead the women in the sprints. Deardorff is coming off a sixth place finish in the 100m at the conference championships and looks to place in the top three this season. She will also compete in the long jump and hopes to qualify for the conference finals in that event. Williams also looks to contend for a top-five finish in the 400m. Hurdler Gina Londono looks to build on her fifth place finish from last year's Big West Championships, and step up into one of the top three spots. San Diego State transfer, Aroline Neal, will add depth in the sprints and relays, as well as try to qualify for conference in the long jump. The women's relays will look to improve their finishes from last year's Big West Championships and hopefully place in the top-three for the 4x100, and the top-five for the 4x400m relay. THROWS
"Our throwers always step up and exceed our expectations. With an abundance of leadership and experience, they will do a lion's share of the work, scoring many championship points and producing several of the team's NCAA qualifiers.With only two seniors, the team's youth will continue to make great gains and earn more recognition in 2003." -- Andy Sythe Men
With the graduation of All-American Jon O'Neil, senior Cory Loebl takes over as the leading men's thrower. Loebl is coming off of a stellar junior season filled with many tremendous distance improvements. His throws improved by 30 feet in the discus, six feet in the shot put, and 12 feet in the javelin. He earned all-conference honors and competed at the NCAA National Championships and the USATF National Championships, and will add great experience to the team. Loebl was the only athlete to score in four events at the conference championships, and looks to exceed his point total to over 25 points at this year's championships. Throws Coach Greg Hodel believes that Loebl will break the school record (201'7) in the discus and move on to the NCAA Championships in two events. Loebl will get some help from redshirt freshman Steve Holland and Josh Kopczak. Holland was a USATF Junior National qualifier in the hammer throw last season and will add points in both the hammer and the shot put. Kopczak will compete in the shot, discus, and hammer. Newcomer Cory Cranford will follow in Loebl's footsteps, competing in all four events. Cranford, in his first year throwing javelin, has a shot at scoring in the conference meet. Adding to the depth of the throws will be second year javelin thrower Frank Rodriguez. Rodriguez walked onto the team having never thrown the javelin last season and immediately made an impact earning all-conference accolades and breaking the school-record. This season, Rodriguez should once again earn all-conference honors and compete at the National Championships. Women
On the women's side, youth still reigns supreme. With one graduating senior, the women will contend for conference titles for years to come. After redshirting her sophomore year to recover from shoulder surgery, Stephanie Sampson returned with a 25-foot improvement in the hammer throw (189'2). Her mark broke the conference-record and the school-record in the hammer. She also finished second at the conference championships, earning all-conference honors, and qualified for the NCAA National Championships. This season, Sampson looks to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the hammer and discus, as well as finish in the top-three in conference for both events. Shannon Daniels adds depth in the hammer throw as she returns for her senior season. Hodel feels she can qualify for Nationals and score in the top-three in the conference championships. Sophomore Michelle Pequignot returns in the discus with a shot at an NCAA qualifying mark. Last season, Pequignot broke the freshman discus record with a throw of 158'3", and looks to set a new sophomore record this season. She should also place in the top-three at conference. Serena Boykin will compete in indoors only as she redshirts the outdoor season. Boykin improved by six feet in the shot put, helping her earn all-conference honors in 2002. Last season, Boykin tied the indoor school-record (45'3 3/4") and is poised to push the record even higher this season. Boykin was an NCAA qualifier in the outdoor shot last season (50'7.25") and should qualify for the indoor national meet.
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