VARSITY TEAM SELECTION Baseball Basketball - Men Basketball - Women Cross Country - Men Cross Country - Women Football Golf - Men Golf - Women Indoor Track - Men Indoor Track - Women Outdoor Track - Men Outdoor Track - Women Soccer - Men Soccer - Women Softball Swimming - Men Swimming - Women Tennis - Men Tennis - Women Volleyball

Release Date: January 12, 2010

MONMOUTH, Ill. — About the only thing that has changed for Monmouth College track in the 26 years Roger Haynes has been at the helm has been the names on the roster.

Haynes enters his 27th year guiding the Fighting Scots track program with a fresh group of recruits and enough seasoned veterans to make another run in the team’s quest to continue their dominance in the Midwest Conference. Monmouth’s men have won the last nine conference titles outdoors and 10 indoors. The women have won eight straight indoors and five outdoors. They have also been prominent on the national stage with a string of producing an outdoor All-American every year for the last 25 years.

Continuing that string won’t be easy as the men’s and women’s teams return just four indoor conference champions to go with seven outdoor titlists. Junior hurdler Logan Hohl (Orion, Ill./Orion) is the lone All-American returning for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Senior Luke Reschke (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) – with three outdoor All-American awards and eight total – will return for the outdoor season after missing last spring with an injury.

“Our numbers are up this year,” reported Haynes of the men’s and women’s roster size. “We have a solid core of conference scorers returning. We did well last year without a lot of champions, as we picked up points with our quality and depth. This is a team that could develop into a strong one as the season progresses. We have a number of juniors and seniors who could emerge to be national-caliber type kids.”

Monmouth’s men have a solid stable in the field events and may have the deepest talent pool in the high jump. Junior outdoor champion Tyler Hannam (Woodhull, Ill./AlWood) will get stiff competition from transfer Nick Byom (Gilson, Ill./Knoxville), senior Sean Wells (Heyworth, Ill./Heyworth) and sophomore Matt Hassler (Ladd, Ill./Spring Valley Hall). Hannam and Byom have cleared 6’8 while Wells and Hassler have 6’6 jumps under their belts. Sophomore Ryan Elmore (Springfield, Ill./Glenwood) has cleared 6’4 and is also considered a contender.

The rest of the jumps group won’t be giving away many points. Haynes is expecting good things from junior Mike Blodgett (Northfield, Minn./Appleton North ) and senior Nick Wright (Canton, Ill./Canton). Junior pole vaulter and defending indoor conference champion Brock McAnally (Crystal Lake, Ill./South) returns after taking the 2009 outdoor season off.

The Scots also have returning discus champion Peyton Lumzy (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) and Sam Cokinos (St. Charles, Ill./East) in the fold for 2010. The junior duo, along with sophomore Paul Terpening (Knoxville, Ill./Knoxville), scored points in last year’s conference meet.

Monmouth also returns three of the four 4x100 team members that set the conference record last spring. Haynes expects juniors Kyle Prout (Chillicothe, Ill./I.V.C.) and Saidu Sesay (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) and sophomore Shane Reschke (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) to take the next step and move into “frontline” sprinter roles.

Hohl – who does double duty in the hurdles and sprints – could have company in the hurdles this season with the addition of freshmen Jonathan Misek (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) and Zack Kempf (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg). Two other freshmen, Matt Dawson (Aledo, Ill./Aledo) and Steven Munoz (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Barrington), could add more firepower in the short and medium sprints.

The Scots have a “good, coachable” group of distance runners. Junior Geoff Bird (Kenilworth, Ill./New Trier) heads a solid core that includes classmates Tim Bentz (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) and Alan Rosiquez (Chicago, Ill./Taft), sophomore Matt Gatlin (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) and freshmen Brian Daly (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick), Paul Davies (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Kaneland) and Connor Shields (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley). Daly is expected to compete in the 800-meter and mile races, Davies and Shields will be considered milers, and Bird, Rosiquez and Gatlin will be primarily used in the longer distances.

“I feel that our sprinters and distance people need to step forward this year,” said Haynes of his men’s team. “They’ll need to get up to the conference level. I feel good about where we are in the field events for both the men and the women.”

Monmouth’s women return five conference champions from the 2009 seasons, including two in the throws.

Senior and defending MWC hammer throw champion Gloria Lehr (Knoxville, Ill./Knoxville) heads up the women’s field athletes. A national qualifier last spring in the discus, she is joined in the throws by last year’s conference weight throw champion, sophomore Amanda Streeter (Port Byron, Ill./Riverdale). Junior Maureen Dewan (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) – who competed in the shadow of national qualifiers the last two years – may make the move to team prominence this season. Freshman Allison Devor (St. Charles, Ill./East) could also make a dent in the throws.

The Scots also have plenty of quality when it comes to the middle distance and distance events. Junior steeplechase champion Mary Kate Beyer (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) is coming off her second straight national appearance in cross country and senior Katie Staab (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) adds more experienced punch. Haynes is also counting on some new faces to provide added depth.

“We’ve strengthened our distance races and field events with some good freshmen,” claimed Haynes of the women’s squad. “Our distance group had a successful cross country season and that will help. We’ll need to do a good job in the sprints.”

Newcomer Rachel Bowden (Lexington, Ill./Lexington) – who earned all-conference honors in cross country – will get plenty of mileage in the 800 and mile events. Marlee Lane (Round Lake Beach, Ill./Grayslake North) and Brittney Frazier (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) – a pair of freshmen – will also make the transition from cross country to track in the 800 and mile.

Junior Lindsie Pettie (Sherrard, Ill./Sherrard), who finished second in the 800 a year ago, will add experience and bolster a solid middle distance corps as she gets a full indoor season under her belt. Another freshman – Aron Jackson (Annawan, Ill./Annawan) – could make an impact in the 400 and 800. 

Like the men’s team, the women’s high jumpers are deep. Juniors Sarah Stinson (Kewanee, Ill./Wethersfield) – second a year ago – and Heather Hull (Cambridge, Ill./Cambridge) will get stiff competition from freshman Chelsey Widdop (Reynolds, Ill./Rockridge). Widdop will also provide a spark in the hurdles where she will be joined by senior Markie Bacon (Aledo, Ill./Aledo). Bacon returns after a couple of years away from the sport.

Freshman triple and long jumper MacKinsey Marquith (Knoxville, Ill./Knoxville) earned all-state honors in high school last year and could be a difference-maker for the Scots. She’ll compliment an already solid jumps group with juniors Jae Moore (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame) and Morgan Leffel (Viola, Ill./Sherrard).

Moore – a “mainstay of the team” – ran everything from the 55 to 400 a year ago and took top conference honors in the 100-meter dash. She’ll be joined in the 200 and 400 by Leffel and sophomore Kaci Lierman (Georgetown, Ill./Georgetown-Ridge Farm). Junior Kanisha Lampkin (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) will focus on the 400.

“We may be a little deeper and a little better at 400 meters than we have been in the past,” said Haynes of his women’s team. “Some of our jumpers will also help us out in the sprints as well. I feel better about the distance races and the long sprints. Mary Kate, Gloria and Katie have the most experience of the women and will provide some good leadership for us.”

Last season, the Scots served up conference titles by mixing abundant depth with a dash of quality. This season they expect to find success with the same recipe, just a few different ingredients.