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The Allegheny men's and women's indoor track and field teams combined to win 12 events during last year's North Coast Athletic Conference Championships meet. Of those dozen gold medals, Gator student-athletes will defend nine this weekend at Denison.
Female sprinter Beth Muller is set to make her return to the track where she made NCAC history in 2009. She became the first woman in conference history to sweep the sprints, claiming victories in the 55-, 200- and 400-meter events while setting two NCAC records in the process (55 and 200). Muller was awarded as the meet's Sprinter/Hurdler of the Year.
Lauren Butler and Mia Symoniak also return as defending champs in the shot put and 3,000, respectively. Butler continued a school streak in '09 by claiming the Gators' third straight NCAC shot put gold; Liz Earley won the event in 2007 and 2008.
The Gator women will also try to win their third straight Distance Medley Relay crown at NCAC Indoors. Last season, Samantha Zink, Lauren Heltman, Angie Dyer and Katie Stancik teamed for the victory.
Allegheny head coach Bill Ross feels that Ohio Wesleyan and Oberlin are top two teams in the conference.
"Ohio Wesleyan is definitely the team to beat," he said. "I do not see any team being anywhere close to them and Oberlin. It's going to be a pretty good battle."
As far as the Gators' chances, Ross prepares his team as if it's just another regular-season meet.
"Our goal -- as it is every year -- is to finish in the Top 3," he said. "We don't consider ourselves an indoor team. Our facilities don't compare to some of the other indoor facilities in the conference, so we just treat this as another meet to prepare for outdoor season."
Ross listed a bevy of events when discussing the women's strong points: Symoniak and Kelly Gallagher will lead the Gators in the 3,000 and 5,000; Stancik and Zink in the mile; Butler in the throwing events; and Muller and Rebecca Lendyak in the sprints.
Last year, the Blue and Gold placed third with 109 points, finishing behind co-champs Oberlin (138) and Ohio Wesleyan (138). They have won eight NCAC Indoor championships with their last coming in 2006.
On the men's side, the distance runners will provide the bulk of Allegheny’s points.
Ryan Hanson and Chris Marker, who in 2009 won golds in the 3,000 and 5,000, respectively, aim to do the same in 2010. The men's Distance Medley Relay squad, which will not the feature the same foursome as last year -- Jeramie Parker, Tony Dipre, Matt Brush and Greg Eyer -- is also a defending champ.
Dipre, an indoor All-American in the mile, will be looking to defend Allegheny's reputation in the race this year. In 2009, Parker won the event in NCAA automatic qualifying, NCAC record and facility-record time. He edged Dipre, who finished just two-hundredths of a second behind.
Taylor Throckmorton, like Dipre, is another runner-up trying to find gold. He placed second in the 400 last year.
The Gators have dominated the distance events in recent years, claiming six straight individual titles in the 3,000: Chris Carrier (2004, 2005), Ryan Place (2006, 2008), Marco Dozzi (2007) and Hanson (2009); and the 5,000: Dan Princic (2004), Kevin Pool (2005), Place (2006, 2008), Chris Corkins (2007) and Marker (2009). Place (2008) and Parker (2009) have also given Allegheny back-to-back golds in the mile.
Along with the 3,000, 5,000, mile and DMR, the 800 will feature a strong Allegheny contingent. Andrew Mahone, the 800 record holder in Gator history, will line up with teammates Matthew Brush, Alex Gorski and Alex Rowland.
In 2009, Allegheny (137) finished second behind Ohio Wesleyan (148.5). Coach Ross envisions another strong effort by the Battling Bishops and eyes a battle for second place with Wabash. The Gator men have won seven NCAC Indoor championships, including a stretch of five straight (2003-07).
"If we have a great meet, we will finish second," Ross said. "If we have a bad meet, we will be fourth."
The NCAC Indoor Track and Field Championships will continue Friday and Saturday at Denison's Mitchell Center. After the NCAC Pentathlon at Oberlin last weekend, the Allegheny women sit in fourth place while the men are sixth.