The Southwestern Community College track & field team opens its indoor season Saturday at the Dutch Athletic Classic hosted by Central College in Pella.
The Spartans return several key members of last year's team, and blend those returners with an exciting group of newcomers.
"We had a lot of success as a team last year, especially as our young squad progressed through indoor and into outdoor season," said Scott Vicker, director of cross country/track & field. "We hope to pick up where we left off at the end of last spring and keep that momentum going within our program."
Key returners
Last year saw then-freshman Molly Venteicher post one of the best single seasons in program history. During her freshman campaign, Venteicher broke the school record in the indoor weight throw and posted the second-best shot put in program history for indoors. During the outdoor season, the CAM graduate broke school records in the shot put, hammer throw, and javelin, while winning the Region XI championship in the shot put and placing 10th in the nation.
"Molly had a slow start to the indoor season last year, but once she got comfortable in college competition, she really took off," Vicker said. "As incredible of a season as she had last year, she looks even stronger this year. Molly put in a ton of work over the summer and has surpassed all of her marks from last year during our fall practices. That's a credit to both her and Coach Mark Evans. I think she is in store for an even bigger year this year."
Another returner on the women's side with national-meet experience is Bri Osterson of Paton. Osterson could miss all of indoor season after tearing her ACL during volleyball season, but hopes to return to competition at some point during indoors or outdoors. She competed at the NJCAA National Championships last year in the javelin and was first alternate in the heptathlon.
Other returners on the women's side include Grace Massier, who ranks fifth in program history in both the indoor 200 meter dash and indoor 400 meter dash, and Jena Yonker, who ranks eighth on the program's all-time list for the indoor 60 meter dash.
For the men, Justin Cunningham returns for his third year in Spartan red, taking advantage of his COVID year. Cunningham ranks second in program history in the men's 60 meter dash and broke the school record in the outdoor 100 meter dash last year. Cunningham, a sophomore from Nassau, Bahamas, has twice competed at NJCAA championship meets - as a freshman indoors, and last year at the outdoor meet, where he finished 20th in the country with his record-breaking 100 meter dash.
"Justin deserves a lot of credit. We have switched his training this year, and he has responded very well to it," Vicker said. "He has been a mainstay for us in the short sprints the past two years, and we have seen him continue to get faster this fall. But now we also hope to have him be in the mix for our 4x400 relay team. He has some big goals for himself, and he's the type of person who is going to work hard to achieve those goals."
Robert Norton, a sophomore from Trophy Club, Texas, ranks sixth in program history in the indoor 800 meters. After a strong outdoor season last year that saw him run well in the 200 meter dash and 400 meter dash, Norton takes aim at the 600 meters during indoors this season. He will also play a big part on the 4x400 relay. Alex Bates of Chariton has had a strong fall of practices in which he already ran a new PR in the 60 meter dash and has shown the ability to run a huge PR in the 400 meter dash.
Conrad Schroeder of Alvo, Nebraska, is making the switch from middle distance last year to throwing this year, and has quickly made improvements in the shot put.
Fresh faces
For the Spartan men, there are a number of newcomers who can step in and make a big impact.
A trio of freshmen from Columbia Heights High School in Minnesota will play big roles for the Spartans. Chase Oates already left his mark on the Southwestern cross country program, ranking 13th in program history for the 8K race distance. Joining him are Ben Olson in the jumps and sprints, and Jonathon Hackett, who has been training for the multi-events.
"Chase obviously had a fantastic fall during cross country season. He has continued to work hard in the buildup to track season. I think he has the ability to smash some of our school records in the distance events this winter," Vicker said. "Ben is a natural athlete. As he works with Coach Evans to perfect his form in the jumps, he has the potential to be one of the best jumpers in program history. On top of that, he projects to be one of our best 400 runners, as well. Hackett is just a beast. He is willing to try anything and shows an ability to quickly learn new concepts. In addition to doing all of the events for the multis, he also projects to be a key part of our 4x400 relay."
Cyrus Hancock of Kansas City will be a strong competitor for the Spartans in the short sprints, as will sophomore Devon Marshall, a transfer from Coffeyville Community College.
Michael Mayer, a Clarinda High School graduate, made big improvements during the fall cross country season and will run middle-distance events for the Spartans. Abu Kemokai, a Southeast Polk graduate, has worked hard during the fall on triple jump and high jump.
The Spartan women are bolstered by newcomers Samira Baade, Parker Evans, Kyla Holm, and Malori Leonard. Baade and Leonard will compete in the throwing events, while Evans is a middle-distance runner and Holm will run sprints and long jump.
Schedule
The Spartans have four regular season indoor meets before finishing the season with the Region XI Championships Feb. 17-18 at Buena Vista University and the NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships March 3-4 at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.
After opening the season Saturday at Central, Southwestern travels to Northwest Missouri State University on Jan. 21 and Grinnell College on Jan. 28. The Spartans will travel to Washburn University for the Washburn Open Feb. 3-4.
"We face some stellar competition during the indoor season," Vicker said. "With the level of competition we see, our student-athletes will be pushed hard. I'm excited for them to have the opportunity week in and week out to compete against some of the best in the Midwest and the country."