Looking at the many stellar returning members of the men’s and women’s track and field squads, it’s easy to see why both teams are confident about their upcoming 2006-2007 indoor season. One of the biggest changes this season is in the coaching staff. Head Coach Ray Appenheimer, after his two-year stint as an assistant coach, will take over leadership of both teams. In the wake of last year’s steady improvement, this change could prove to be the clincher that turns the team into conference contenders.

The Yeomen have a good crop of returning scorers, including the 2004-2005 North Coast Athletic Conference Sprinter of the Year, senior Edo Bedzra. Bedzra, along with juniors Cassius Harris and Cody Hartley, compose the crew of returning Yeomen who will prove that they can make a serious impact in the sprinting, throwing and jumping events. Harris came in fifth in the long jump in last season’s outdoor NCAC Championship and should only improve upon this record in the upcoming indoor season.

Hartley competes in both hurdle and sprint events. He also competed in last season’s outdoor NCAC Championship, placing first in the 400-meter hurdles. In last season’s indoor finale Hartley came in eighth in the 55-meter hurdles.

Along with these returning talents, the Yeomen are proud to welcome back an impressive group of middle- and long-distance runners. Four runners deserve notable mention in this category: seniors Travis Grout and John Shaw and sophomores Ryan King and Conor Doss. Grout placed fifth in the 5,000-meter run in the 2005-2006 NCAC championships. King placed fourth in the mile, Doss placed seventh in the 800-meter run and Shaw placed seventh in the 3,000-meter run.

The Yeowomen will also return a strong core of runners. Sophomores Flannery Cerbin and Maddy Davis-Hayes, along with senior Arianne Burwell and junior Alison Doniger, make up a talented chunk of the returning middle- and long-distance runners. Cerbin won the NCAC Indoor Championships in the 800-meter run. Davis-Hayes placed second in the same championships in the mile run. Both sophomores also broke school records last year. Cerbin ran the 800-meter indoors in 2:18.93, while Davis-Hayes broke the 21-year-old record in the mile.

Burwell placed third and fourth in the indoor championship in the 3,000- and 4,000-meter runs consecutively. Doniger placed seventh in the 5,000-meter run. A combined force of Hayes, sophomore Nicky Ouellet, junior Anna Chernin and senior Barrie Newberger also placed second in the NCAC championship for the distance medley relay. Rounding out the team are two pole-vaulters, sophomore Kirsten Hansen-Day and junior Deysi Villarreal. Villarreal placed sixth in the Indoor Championships, while Hansen-Day placed seventh.

Both teams will host three meets, the first on Jan. 19, the second on Feb. 9 and the third on Feb. 23. Their first meet will take place on Dec. 8 and 9 at Kent State University.