2008 Elizabethtown College Women’s Track & Field Preview

Entering the 2008 season, the Elizabethtown women’s track and field team looks to best their third-place finishes at last year's indoor and outdoor Middle Atlantic Conference championships. At the helm this year will be new head coach Erin (Lichti) VanderSchaaf, a 2006 Elizabethtown graduate and former team standout.

Director of track and field and cross country Chris Straub says that “we will have a great group of six senior women helping Erin make a smooth transition from alumna to coach.”

The women’s squad will be led by distance runner and senior captain Erin Fisher (McEwensville, PA/Warrior Run). Fisher just recently finished her cross country season, where she finished 15th in the nation and earned All-American status. Fisher also hopes to defend her MAC titles in the 5,000 meters in indoor track and the 5,000 and 10,000 meters in outdoor. In the 10,000 meters, Fisher qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships and will look for a return trip this season.

Another solid distance runner will be first-year student Kristen O’Brien (Westminster, MD/Winters Mill). O’Brien is coming off a stellar cross country season, where in her first year of action she was the number-four runner for the 23rd-best team in the nation and earned All-Region honors.

Joining O’Brien and Fisher will be senior Sarah Grove Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East), the number-five runner on this fall’s cross country team. “Sarah greatly aided in our cross country team qualifying for the NCAA championships and I fully expect her to be under 19 minutes for the 5,000 meters this year,” said Straub. Also key to the distance lineup is junior Amanda Daws (Thorofare, NJ/West Deptford).

The middle distance group is led by junior Tiffany Kulp (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge). Kulp was also a valued member of the women’s cross country team as she was the number-two runner, and she is the defending MAC champion in the 800 meters (indoor) and the 1,500 meters (outdoor).

Kulp will attempt to qualify for the NCAA Division III indoor championships in the mile, and will take a run at outdoor nationals in the 1500 meters and the steeplechase. The school record holder in the steeplechase despite her limited experience in the event, Kulp will also pursue the Etown record in the 1500 of 4:36.33 set by Katie Garner.

Sophomore Megan VanDenHengel (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley), also an All-Region honoree in cross country, and sophomore Sarah Merusi (Montague, NJ/Port Jervis, NY) will also be top contributors, along with senior captain Meghan Ryder (Hatboro, PA/Hatboro-Horsham). "Last season, under the tutelage of coach Mike Dager, Meghan ran a 2:27 in the 800 meters and looks to continue to progress,” states Coach Straub.

Also competing at mid-distance will be first-year students Teresa Beshore (New Cumberland, PA/Red Land) and Kristin Bowen (West Chester, PA/Downingtown West)

The sprinting core will be led by graduate student Lori Havrilak (West Grove, PA/St. Mark’s, DE), who will use her final year of eligibility in pursuit of a MAC title in the 400 meters.

First-year student Allie Gold (Columbia, PA/Hempfield) will look to continue the tradition at Elizabethtown established by standout hurdler Carrie Kerna '04, who was national runner-up in bot the 55 and 100 hurdles as a senior.

In the jumps, senior Jenna Riley (Reading, PA/Reading Central Catholic) and junior Chelsea Miles (Media, PA/Penncrest) battle it out to “see who can break the 37 foot barrier in the triple jump,” says coach Straub. Riley was the gold medalist in the triple jump at last year's outdoor MAC championship and hopes to repeat again this year.

Miles also had a strong season a year ago and holds the school record in the long and triple jump indoors and the long jump outdoors.

The pole vaulting squad will be led by senior Samantha Adams (Mickelton, NJ/Padua Academy). Adams, who holds the school indoor record in the pole vault at 10 feet, will battle for the record with first-year student Lauren Riley (Sanatoga, PA/Pottsgrove).

Elizabethtown has qualified at least one athlete for nationals in each of the last six years, with at least one Blue Jay competing at the NCAA championships for four consecutive seasons.

-Mike Behounek '11 contributed to this article