KALAMAZOO -- Fresh off a successful Cross Country campaign which saw first-year distance coach Bekah Smeltzer produce the fourth fastest freshman in the USA in Maria McDaniel, the Broncos now turn their attention to the track, as the indoor season gets underway on Saturday, Jan. 10th at Mid-American Conference rival Bowling Green.
Head Coach Kelly Lycan begins his 14th season directing the Broncos, and he is optimistic about the possibilities this season presents.
"We have some very high-quality performers in our freshman and sophomore classes," says Lycan. "That should mix well with the battle-tested upperclassmen who have the experience of competing head-to-head against some of the best athletes in the nation at some of the biggest meets in the nation. We're looking forward to a successful season.”
Here's a closer look at the 2015 Broncos, as we break them down by event groups:
Distance: The Broncos are vastly improved in this area, led by freshman Maria McDaniel (Naperville North, Ill.) who finished second at the MAC Cross Country Championships, made the NCAA All-Region Team, and qualified for the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.. Another freshman, Hanne Christensen, (Grand Blanc, Mich.) also made an immediate impact on the distance crew, as she was consistently one of the top three finishers for the Cross Country squad throughout most of the season.
Another name to watch for will be junior Ann Marie Arseneau (Sturgis, Mich.), who had her best season ever as a Bronco this Fall, and looks ready to have a fine season in the longer distances. Other returners are Raechel Broek, Raychel Figurski, Amy Littlefield, Daya Wagh, and the lone senior, Becca Peacock. Joining Christensen and McDaniel will be fellow freshmen Taylor Grace, and middle distance ace, Makenzie Evers, from nearby Plainwell. In addition to those newcomers, Lycan is excited to add Smeltzer to the coaching staff for 2015.
“Coach Smeltzer did an expert job of guiding Maria through her first collegiate cross country season, and our entire team showed great progress throughout the Fall. She had a fine collegiate career, she's been through the wars, she's very knowledgeable and extremely personable, and I'm really looking forward to watching her build a top-notch distance program here at WMU.”
Throws: The throwers will be led this year by another newcomer to the Bronco coaching staff, Igor Misljenovic. And Coach Misljenovic will also have some precocious youngsters to work with this year. Two local high school stars, Brittany Casey (Zeeland East) and Jade Madison (New Buffalo), both of whom were state champions in the shot put in their respective divisions last year, will add excellent athleticism to the Bronco throwing group. Also in her first year is Savannah Dugan, all the way from the Upper Peninsula to add some muscle to the throwing corps.
The top returner in this group is Stephanie Negrete, a fifth-year senior, who scored points for the Broncos at last year's MAC Championships in two events, the hammer and the discus. Also returning for the Broncos are juniors Lindsay Crum, Alex Ferguson, and Maria Tomlinson, and sophomore Sam Howard, and they have been providing important leadership for the freshmen.
Says Lycan of the newest addition to the coaching staff, “Igor brings a great deal of technical expertise to this group. As a successful thrower at Virginia Tech, Igor knows what it takes to compete at the highest level, and he is doing an outstanding job of relating that knowledge to this young, but talented group.”
Sprints/Hurdles/Jumps: This area has long been a point of pride for WMU, and 2015 should prove to be more of the same.
In the short sprints, the Broncos welcome freshman Ashley White (Detroit, Edison), one of the top sprinters in Michigan last year. She will join forces with sophomores Sarita Dotson and Naiomi Dulaney to provide punch in the short dashes.
No team in the state has been as dominant as WMU when it comes to the long sprints. The Broncos have had the best 4x400m relay team in the state for the last 12 years, and a Lycan-coached athlete has won a MAC title in the 400m 12 out of the last 14 seasons. This year's squad boasts the defending MAC Champ in the outdoor 400m, Alexis Hull, who returns for her senior season. Hull will be joined in the quarter by freshmen Davonne Bolden and Ayiana Gaines, as well as returners Diajah Ruffin, Lindsey Hufnagel, Keyera Lige', and Kathryn Pickett. Providing even more firepower in the long sprints will be Jordan Anderson and Kalamazoo Central grad Khalidha Davis, both of whom will also move up frequently to the 800m.
In the jumps, the Broncos will rely on the multi-talented Pickett and Hufnagel, as well as sophomores Kara Craig and Jade McKnight. In the long jump, Pickett and McKnight should both be pushing the magic 20ft. barrier, with Hufnagel close behind. Craig, Hufnagel, and Pickett will combine forces in the high jump, while McKnight and possibly Gaines will lead the way in the triple jump.
The Broncos have boasted one of the top shuttle hurdle relay squads in the entire nation over the past decade, and that's because they have top-quality hurdlers year after year, and this season should be one of the best. Both Pickett and junior Artia Gunn should make a run for scoring spots in the 100HH, and the Broncos are very deep in the 400H, with Hufnagel, Hull, sophomores Mallory Myler, Xasha Cohen, and Keyera Lige', who qualified for last year's USATF Junior Nationals, and senior Koby Gillispie all very capable in the one-lap event. The lone freshman in this group, Danielle Lloyd will also be looking to make her mark in the hurdles.
In the pentathlon and heptathlon, the Broncos are blessed with national-caliber talent. Both Pickett and Hufnagel have taken turns breaking the school records in the pentathlon and the heptathlon a total of five times in their first three seasons. Both national-class sprinters, Hufnagel and Pickett use that speed and coordination to be two of the finest all-around athletes in the country. They have been working hard with Coach Misljenovich this fall to improve their throwing skills to make them even harder to deal with.
For the past six years, the pole-vault group has been directed by coach Luke Furney, and he has had considerable success, guiding his charges to five of the top six spots on the WMU all-time performance list. 2015 should prove another fruitful year for Furney as he has two vaulters who should make a run at both the indoor and outdoor school records. Junior Reagan Engstrom has improved each of her first two seasons and looks poised to have a breakout campaign, and she will be joined by transfer (Eastern Illinois), Kirstie Wieber, as they both vie to become the first Lady Bronco over 13 ft.
Lycan says, “I really believe this team can be a good one at both the conference level and at the national level. Our depth is much improved, and especially with the improvements we have seen from our distance crew, those factors will help us score at the MAC meet, and we definitely have some individuals who could qualify for the NCAA Championships and make some noise there as well. I'm looking forward to getting it started.”
