Schedule of Events
A-10 Indoor Performance List
After several months of preparation, the University of Dayton track and field program is on its way to Rhode Island to compete at the 17th annual Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field Championships. The two-day meet will be held Feb. 19-20 at the University of Rhode Island’s Mackal Field House.
Two years in a row now, the University of Dayton track and field team has played second fiddle to the Charlotte at the annual conference meet. Not that that’s anything new for A-10 programs, the 49ers have claimed the title an unprecedented four-straight times.
The Flyers have gotten progressively closer to 49ers at each of the past two indoor meets, and were the day-one leaders at last year’s meet, finishing with a program record 139 points. This year they will look to continue the team mantra of, “Close The Gap,” as they work to dethrone the 49ers.
UD head coach Adam Steinwachs sees the point differential between the two programs diminishing, and believes the Flyers will need to be “on” for both days of the competition.
“Hopefully, we have quite a few, ‘dark horses,’” Steinwachs said. “We need to see special performances across the board to really be in this thing.”
Dayton stacks up to sweep both the weight throw and shot put competitions, with juniors Mallory Barnes and Kerry Allen, as well as senior Molly McCarty holding the conference’s top three distances in the weight throw. Barnes’ season-best of 64-10 is a school record and stands as the 15th best toss in the NCAA this year.
In the shot put, senior Sarah Allen holds the top mark in the conference this season. She is joined in the top-3 on the performance list by junior Johnna Zaccari – a two-time A-10 champ in the indoor shot put – and Barnes.
The Flyers also hold the top two pole vault heights this season, led by sophomore Courtney Siebenaller and freshman Katie Nageotte. Siebenaller is the league’s reigning indoor and outdoor champ in the event and was named A-10 Rookie of the Year during the 2009 season.
Steinwachs has nothing but praise for the way his throwers and vaulters have performed so far this season, and looks for big things from that group again this weekend.
“They all have a great work ethic and do well in competition,” Steinwachs said. “They're ready to go, so they just need to let their bodies do what they've been trained to do.”
Outside of the field events, where Dayton will do a lot of its scoring, the Flyers will look for strong performances from mid-distance stalwart Ashley Cattran, who won conference gold in the indoor 800 last season. Junior Maureen Bulgrin, a standout distance runner, has also been enjoying a fine indoor season and stands as one of the Flyers to pay attention to this weekend.
Outside of UD, the contingent of Duquesne, Fordham, La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Richmond, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, Temple and Xavier will be vying for the conference championship this season.
Steinwachs and the team remain focused on Charlotte, however, which has lost a few standouts from last year.
“They did lose a couple of their top performers,” Steinwachs said. “They're young, but they're always dangerous and they're the four-time defending champs. From top to bottom, the A-10 looks stronger than it has in the past.”
The two-day championship will be streamed live on www.atlantic10.org, beginning on Friday at 9:00 a.m. The cost is $7.95 for a two-day pass, while annual subscribers to A-10 All-Access will receive the event as part of their subscription. Live stats will also be available through the A-10 website.
