Women's Track and Field to Contend for MAC Title in Muncie

Complete Schedule of Events

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — With the 2015 Mid-American Conference Indoor Championship title on its heels, the Eastern Michigan University women's track and field team is ready to take on the best athletes that the conference has to offer in search of a sweep of both the indoor and outdoor crowns.

This year, the Green and White will head to Muncie, Ind. as Ball State University will play host to the 2015 MAC Championships Thursday through Saturday, May 14-16. Thursday's action will consist of the hammer throw at 10 a.m., followed by the javelin, pole vault, and the first four events of the heptathlon before the running of the 10,000m at 7:30 p.m. On Friday, the long jump and shot put are slated for an afternoon start at 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., resepctively, while the trials on the track will begin at 1 p.m. and will conclude with the 3000m steeplechase at 5:20 p.m. The final day begins with the triple jump at 10:30 a.m., followed by the discus and high jump. The 4x100m relay will kick off action on the track at 1:10 p.m. with the championship sections running until the meet concludes its final event at 4:50 p.m. with the 4x400m relay.

Live results for the meet will be provided through finishtiming.com. For more complete information, please visit the MAC Championship Central page at mac-sports.com.

With the 2015 MAC Championships just a day away, it is time to take a look at the conference as a whole. The following is a summary of each of the conference's teams based on top competitors this year along with returning contenders from the 2014 championship season.

Eastern Michigan
   The Eagles are in the search for their second MAC Championship of the 2014-15 year after winning the 2015 MAC Indoor title in February. Last year, the Green and White finished third with 100.5 points fueled by 18 top-eight finishes that included 10 in the top four and five victories. Of the athletes that finished in the top-eight last year, Eastern returns 11 while losing three from the roster. Three Eagles in particular will be donning the Green and White for the last time during conference action while vying for MAC titles. The 2014 co-MVP, Victoria Voronko, is back to defend her title in the 1500m and 3000m steeplechase, along with Sarah Chauchard's quest for a repeat victory in the heptathlon and Kate Wolanin's battle for the title in the high jump. All three athletes advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships last year, with Chauchard taking home First Team All-American honors while Voronko and Wolanin were honored as All-American Second Team athletes.
   This season, Voronko has a stronger distance group to support her and score points for the team. While Voronko holds the top time in the MAC in the 1500m in 4:22.29, she now packs a powerful punch with the addition of Sofie Gallein in the 3000m steeplechase. Gallein holds a slim edge over her teammate for the top time in the conference with a 10:05.52 while Voronko has posted a time of 10:05.63. Also joining the mix is freshman Jordann McDermitt, who broke the EMU record in the 5000m in 16:07.25 for the fastest time in the MAC and is also ranked second in the 10,000m in 34:15.99. McDermitt also ranks in the top-10 in the 1500m in 4:27.85 for eighth, with senior Taylor Knoll ranking fifth in the MAC in 4:25.54. Knoll has become a top contender in the 800m this season, as the senior went from not competing in the event at last year's championship to holding the third-fastest time in the MAC in 2:08.71, while Voronko ranks fourth in 2:10.37.
   Chauchard also has retained her spot as the top competitor in the heptathlon for 2015, as she has scored 5,480 points while Wolanin is ranked sixth with 4,866 points. However, Wolanin will be on the hunt for the MAC title in the high jump against a talented field. The senior recently cleared the six-foot barrier for the first time in her career and is just the second Eagle to ever clear six feet outdoors, making her the second-ranked athlete in the MAC and 17th in the nation.
   Also looking to defend her titles is Aaliyah McKinney in the sprints. The junior won both the 100m and 200m after posting a pair of personal bests in 2014, and sits in the top-10 in both events this year. She currently ranks fourth in the 100m in 11.83 seconds and sixth in the 200m in 24.24 seconds, with Danielle Clark ranking eighth in the 200m in 24.43 seconds. Clark is another athlete expected to score well in her senior season after she finished fifth in both the 100m and 200m last year. Both athletes could be featured in the lineup in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, as the Green and White have added considerable depth to the sprints group and have multiple athletes upon which it could rely at the MAC Championships. This year, the 4x100m team of Clark, McKinney, Morgan Yeadon, and Jasmine Jones has posted the third-fastest time in the conference in 45.88 seconds, while the quartet of McKinney, Yeadon, Wolanin, and Chante Roberts sits in second in 3:43.17.
   Eastern has multiple freshman that have the potential to make an immediate impact at the meet. In addition to Jones, McDermitt, and Roberts, Eastern has added the international pair of Dace Dreimane and Helga Volgyi to score in the field events. Dreimane is the top-ranked athlete in the triple jump at 12.65 meters/41 feet 6-inches and is also sixth in the long jump at 5.92 meters/19 feet 5.25-inches. Volgyi has already moved up to second in the EMU record books in the hammer throw, having posted a mark of 57.89 meters/189 feet 11-inches, good for sixth in the MAC. Rounding out the field events, the Eagles have a strong trio in the pole vault, led this season by Natalie Uy with the fifth-best vault in the MAC at 4.05 meters/13 feet 3.50-inches. Reigning indoor MAC champion Ellie Braidic has returned to have the eighth-highest clearance at 3.98 meters/13 feet 0.75-inches, while Janina Pollatz rounds out the group with a vault of 3.85 meters/12 feet 7.50-inches for 10th in the MAC.

Akron
   The University of Akron finished second at the 2014 MAC Championships with 127 points, and returns 13 student-athletes that placed in the top-eight at last year's MAC Championships while losing just two athletes in the pair of MAC pole vault champion and runner-up Annika Roloff and Ariane Beaumont-Courteau. Last year, Akron had 22 top-eight finishes, including a total of 16 performances in the top-four. The Zips still maintain a strong presence in the pole vault, as 2014's co-runner-up Caroline Hasse currently tops the conference standings with a season-best vault of 4.20 meters/13 feet 9.25-inches. Joining the junior at the top of the ranks are sophomore Rebecca Szabo with the third-highest vault (4.15m/13-07.25) and senior Claire Lucas in fourth (4.12m/13-06.25). The Zips also have a strong lineup in the sprints, jumps, and throws with multiple athletes at or near the top of the conference standings. On the track, the Zips will look to senior Rachel Christian to pace the team in the 100m and 200m. Christian currently holds the premier time in the 100m in 11.55 seconds, while her time of 23.89 seconds in the 200m is good for second among conference competitors.
   Newcomer Claudia Garcia Jou has quickly become a formidable opponent in her first year donning the Akron uniform, as the NCAA Indoor Championships competitor tops the outdoor MAC list with a best jump of 1.88 meters/6 feet 2-inches and is just the only other athlete besides Wolanin to have cleared the six-foot barrier this year. In the horizontal jumps, Akron boasts the duo of Ana Martin-Sacristan and Jaclyn Siefring as the top two long jumpers in the MAC, with Martin-Sacristan posting the only 20-foot leap at 6.12 meters/20 feet 1-inch while Siefring has a season mark of 6.06 meters/19 feet 10.75-inches. Martin-Sacristan is looking to improve on her performance from last year, when she took seventh in both the long jump and triple jump. She also ranks in the top-10 in the conference in the triple jump, but the Zips are led by returning MAC runner-up Weronika Gaudyn trailing Dreimane in the standings after a mark of 12.55 meters/41 feet 2.25-inches.
   Alexis Cooks will be the Zips' athlete to watch in the throws after finishing second in the discus throw and third in the hammer throw last year. Cooks currently ranks second in both events among MAC competitors with a discus throw of 55.31 meters/181 feet 5-inches and a hammer throw of 63.93 meters/209 feet 9-inches, while she is also the third-ranked shot put athlete with a season best of 16.34 meters/53 feet 7.50-inches. Rounding out the throws is Jessica Delic, who finished runner-up in the javelin in 2014 and is currently at the top of the conference with a toss of 47.41 meters/155 feet 6-inches.

Ball State
   Ball State University has plenty of room for improvement this year after taking 12th in 2014 with one point, courtesy of returning long jumper Christina Crawford. This season, Makelle Skelton has stepped up as the top athlete for the team in the event, as the indoor MAC runner-up currently ranks 10th with a jump of 5.85 meters/19 feet 2.50-inches. Other Cardinals rank in the top-10, including combo athlete Rebecca Lomax, who ranks 10th in the 100m dash in 12.01 seconds and has posted the fifth-best high jump in the conference at 1.75 meters/5 feet 8.75-inches. In the distance events, Courtney Edon sits at 10th in the 3000m steeplechase standings after clocking an 11:08.10 this year.

Bowling Green
   Bowling Green State University garnered a seventh-place finish with 60 points in 2014 and returns nine of the athletes that scored in the top-eight while losing two. Last year, the Falcons had 14 top-eight finishes with five performances in the top-four, including MAC hammer throw champion Brooke Pleger. The senior has only improved this season after finishing third in the nation in 2014, as she has broken her own MAC and BGSU record in the event with a launch of 69.49 meters/228 feet. The mark not only tops the MAC by a margin of nearly 19 feet, but it is the best throw in the nation this year by more than four feet. In addition to Pleger, the Falcons also have two other top-10 athletes in the MAC with the sophomore pair of Kori Reiser and Kayla Velasquez, who rank seventh and eighth, respectively.
    Also topping the MAC for BGSU is Brittany Sinclair, who boasts the fastest 400m hurdles time in 58.97 seconds. The Falcons have put together a strong lineup in the 4x100m relay, with the quartet of Sinclair, Alicia Arnold, Kera Lamotte, and Dorresha Green holding the second-fastest time this year in the MAC in 45.72 seconds. Arnold highlights the sprints for BGSU, as she is the third-fastest MAC competitor in the 100m in 11.79 seconds and ranks seventh in the 200m in 24.28 seconds, while the junior also competes in the long jump and is the eighth-ranked athlete at 5.89 meters/19 feet 4-inches.

Buffalo
   The University at Buffalo took fourth at the 2014 MAC Championships with 87.5 points and has eight returning scoring athletes while losing four. Though the Bulls garnered 15 top-eight finishes with nine of those in the top four, the graduated trio of Crystal Graham, Asia Henry, and Donna Jeanty could prove to be a significant loss as the three athletes contributed to all three of the Bulls' victories last year. Jeanty won the 400m hurdles while also appearing on the winning lineup in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays with Graham, while Henry departs the 4x400m team and also finished runner-up in the 800m last year. Though the relays do appear to have lost their dominance, ranking sixth in the 4x100m and 10th in the 4x400m, the Bulls return quite a few key competitors.
    Junior Camaria Long returns to improve on her runner-up finish in the 200m last year, as she currently holds the fastest time in the conference in 23.63 seconds. Also looking to step up from 2014 is Meghan Manley, who finished fifth in the 800m and is presently ranked as the fastest MAC competitor in the event in 2:06.76. Buffalo can also look to even more senior leadership from Emma Siuciak, who picked up two top-four finishes last year. Siuciak was runner-up to Chauchard in the heptathlon, and currently ranks third after putting up 5,194 points earlier this season. Additionally, she also placed fourth in the high jump and is in the same position in the standings after clearing 1.77 meters/5 feet 9.75-inches in the 2015 outdoor campaign.

Central Michigan
   Central Michigan University used 17 top-eight finishes, including six in the top-four, to finish sixth with 63 points in the 2014 outdoor season. The Chippewas return 13 scoring athletes and lose just three to graduation. One athlete holds the MAC standard for the year from the roster, with senior Abbey Kelto posting the fastest 10,000m time in 34:06.81. Kelto also ranks fifth in the 3000m steeplechase (10:29.67) and eighth in the 5000m (16:24.64). In the 200m and 400m, the Chips can look to Ravyn Baxter to score, who ranks second in the conference in the 400m in 54.64 seconds as well as fourth in the 200m in 23.97 seconds. CMU is right in the mix in the relays, with a 4x100m time of 45.91 sitting at fourth in the MAC while its mark of 3:44.26 in the 4x400m relay is good for fifth.
   The Chippewas also boast a solid group in the throws. Leading the team in the shot put and discus throw is Devene Brown, whose launch of 53.89 meters/176 feet 10-inches in the discus is third in the MAC while her toss of 15.15 meters/59 feet 8.50-inches is good for fifth among conference competitors. In the hammer throw, Kylee Dobbelaere ranks fifth at 58.23 meters/191 feet, and Kyleigh Young is the sixth-seeded javelin thrower at 42.66 meters/139 feet 11-inches.

Kent State
   Kent State University enters the weekend as the defending MAC outdoor champions after posting 132 points from 28 top-eight placements that included 12 top-four finishes and six victories. The Golden Flashes' roster features 12 of their scoring athletes from last year while dropping six, including MAC 100m hurdles champion Anne Marie Duffus and long jump champion Roseanne Erickson. In the jumps, Kent State features 2014 co-MVP and MAC champion in the high jump and triple jump Dior Delophont, who appears in the top-10 of the MAC rankings in the high jump, long jump, triple jump, and javelin throw. The junior has posted the third-best mark in the high jump (1.79m/5-10.50), long jump (6.03m/19-09.50), and triple jump (12.19m/40-00.00) to pace the team while she is also ranked ninth in the MAC in the javelin throw at 40.50 meters/133 feet 2-inches.
   The Golden Flashes have a fierce competitor in the throws in Danniel Thomas, who ranks first in the conference in both the shot put and discus throw and is the defending MAC champion in both disciplines. Additionally, her toss of 17.64 meters/57 feet 10.50-inches in the shot put ranks fifth in the nation and her throw of 56.97 meters/186 feet 11-inches in the discus is good for eighth nationally. Also ranking in the top-25 nationally in the throws is Jackie Leppelmeier, who has thrown 60.99 meters/200 feet 1-inch in the hammer throw to rank third in the MAC and 24th in the NCAA.
   On the track, Kent State has the fastest 4x400m lineup in the conference courtesy of Lynnese Beyan, Jorian Ordway, Taylor Farquhar, and Tyler Williams in 3:40.76. Williams, Ordway, and Beyan all appear in the top-10 of the MAC in the 400m, with Williams sitting at sixth in 55.44 seconds while Ordway and Beyan are ninth and 10th in 55.87 and 55.92 seconds, respectively. Farquhar is ranked seventh in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:00.74. The team also has strength in the mid-distance, led by Lauren Burnett's time of 2:07.82 to rank second in the 800m and Hannah Fleck's fourth-best 1500m in the conference in 4:25.48.

Miami
   Miami University finished eighth in 2014 with 57 points after producing 11 top-eight finishes that included six performances in the top-eight. Of the scoring athletes, the RedHawks return six and lose four. This season, the highest ranked competitors in the MAC are Alexus Jimson-Miller and Amelia Strickler, who rank second in the 100m hurdles and shot put, respectively. Jimson-Miller is looking to move up from an eighth-place finish last year, as she holds a seed time of 13.65 seconds. Strickler had a fourth-place finish in 2014, and has a season-best throw of 16.72 meters/54 feet 10.25-inches in 2015.
   The RedHawks have solid competitors in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m as well. In the 400m, Emily Hooker has posted a time of 55.26 to rank fifth in her rookie season. Megan Beaver has clocked in at 2:10.90 in the 800m to rank eighth in the MAC, and Laura Bess rounds out the event leaders in 4:26.27 to rank sixth in the 1500m.

Northern Illinois
   Northern Illinois University finished ninth last year with 42 points, earning 11 top-eight finishes with six in the top-four. The Huskies return six of their scorers while losing three to graduation, including 1500m runner-up Meghan Heuer and 4x400m staple Rebecca Cronin. NIU has strong performers in the sprints, as its lineup of Lydia Harold, A'Iesha Irvin-Muhammad, Tahtyana Peer, and Alexandria Isom has the fastest time in the MAC in 45.43 seconds. Irvin-Muhammad leads the way in the sprints with the second-fastest 100m time (11.70) and the third-seeded 200m mark (23.93).
    In the 400m, Ashanti Hutton is ranked third in 54.91 seconds, and NIU also has a dynamic pair in the 100m hurdles with Latesha Bigby leading the MAC in 13.60 seconds while Claudette Day's time of 13.69 is good for third. The Huskies are also strong in the 4x400m, holding the third-fastest time in the MAC in 3:43.84 with the lineup of Hutton, Irvin-Muhammad, Bigby, and Julie Cronin. On the field, Bigby and Day can be expected to compete in a variety of events as the pair are ranked fourth and fifth in the conference in the heptathlon. The throws are led by Sidra Sherril, who is fifth in the MAC in the discus throw (51.97m/170-06) and sixth in the shot put (14.59m/47-10.50).

Ohio
   Ohio University finished 10th in 2014 with 41 points after amassing eight top-eight finishes that included three top-four performances. The Bobcats return five scorers and lose two, with the largest impact coming from the graduation of the 2014 MAC Most Outstanding Track Performer Juli Accurso, who was a double champion in the 5000m and 10,000m. This season, Ohio's strengths lie primarily on the field with seven athletes ranked in the top-10 of the conference. The highest ranked competitor is Ashlee Bilhimer, who is fifth in the javelin throw at 43.46 meters/142 feet 7-inches. Sitting at sixth in the high jump is Taylor Smith, who has cleared 1.72 meters/5 feet 7.75-inches in her sophomore season, and classmate Makenzie Rankin could be expected to score in the heptathlon as she ranks eighth with 4,306 points. The Bobcats have two athletes in the top-10 in the shot put with Jordan Porter sitting in ninth while Janiece Rose is ranked 10th, and Donyelle Brown will look to improve on her fifth-place performance last year as she is currently seeded ninth in the conference.

Toledo
   The University of Toledo took 11th last year with 37 points that came from nine top-eight finishes that included four top-four performances. The Rockets return six of their scoring athletes while losing just three. Undoubtedly, the 2014 MAC Cross Country championship team uses its distance runners to its advantage, with numerous Rockets ranking in the top-10 in the 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m, and 3000m steeplechase. In the 1500m, Megan Wright is ranked right behind Voronko in 4:23.87, followed by Liz Weiler in 4:26.33 for seventh and Julia Pusater in 4:28.93 for 10th. The 5000m has a plethora of harriers that could appear, as five of the top-10 times are from a Toledo athlete led by Brooke Tullis in 16:09.59 for the second seed and Mackenzie Chojnacky in 16:23.31 for fourth. Tullis also paces the team in the 10,000m in 34:21.19 for third, while Weiler and Chojnacky are ranked third and fourth (10:09.42/10:16.98) behind Gallein and Voronko in the 3000m steeplechase. Toledo also features Carly Molls on the roster, who has the second-farthest javelin throw in the MAC at 46.28 meters/151 feet 10-inches.

Western Michigan
   Western Michigan University had 13 top-eight finishes, including eight in the top-four, to take fifth with 70 points. The Broncos lose four scoring athletes and return five to the roster. With the loss of some key performers, WMU has seen some of its best performances from its freshmen this year. Topping the conference in the 400m is Ayiana Gaines, who has clocked a 54.29 to pace the MAC. Maria McDaniel has proven to be a staunch competitor in the distance events, ranking third in both the 1500m (4:25.02) and 5000m (16:13.95). Western also features a freshman field competitor, as Jade Madison ranks third in the javelin throw at 45.76 meters/150 feet 1-inch. The Broncos also had success in the relays last year, taking second in both the 4x100m and 4x400m, but have fallen to fourth in the 4x400m relay and seventh in the 4x100m this season.

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Players Mentioned

Ellie Braidic

Sarah Chauchard

Danielle Clark

Dace Dreimane

Sofie Gallein

Jasmine Jones

Taylor Knoll

Jordann McDermitt

Aaliyah McKinney

Janina Pollatz

Chante Roberts

Natalie Uy

Helga Volgyi

Victoria Voronko

Kate Wolanin

Morgan Yeadon

Eastern Michigan Athletics