Azusa Pacific women’s track & field finished second last year in both the NAIA Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships to cap an unprecedented season in program history. Yet, the reactions to the 2 outstanding performances could not have been more different.

At the indoor championship meet in Johnson City, Tenn., the Cougars were thrilled with their showing that validated that they could legitimately contend for the program’s first-ever national championship. However, at the outdoor championship meet in Olathe, Kan., hope and promise turned to bitter disappointment when the Cougars fell 7 points shy of the crown and finished again as the national runner-up. Mere expectations were the provided sole difference in responses and an additional second-place showing was not satisfactory for the athletes.

“We were young, we competed well, but yeah, we were pretty disappointed not to win the outdoor championship,” said fourth-year Azusa Pacific women’s coach Mike Barnett. “Our championship hopes didn’t turn on any one event but rather a series of events that if we would have performed to our potential in any one of them, we would have been the national champion.”

The missed opportunity of last spring has lingered in the back of minds and over time has evolved into the fuel of this year. The Cougars return all but 1 athlete from last year’s national runner-up squad and the disenchantment of a year ago has provided a natural motivation for the season ahead.

“There’s no question that the ladies are hungry,” said Barnett. “They have an extra year of maturity, and their off-season training has had an added purpose to it. Last year they thought they’d be the first women’s team at Azusa Pacific to win a national championship. This year, they want to make sure of it.”

Azusa Pacific returns 14 athletes from last year’s squad that competed at the national championships. Heading the list are NAIA champions Brianna Carstensen and Vivian Chukweumeka and NAIA Outdoor Meet MVP Vanessa Wilhelm. Adding quality depth are All-Americans Janessa Lepp, Mireya Beltran, Tamara Jones and Briana Horton. Toss in a strong set of relays and it becomes easy to understand the reasons for Barnett’s enthusiasm over the coming season.

“This is as balanced a team as you’ll find in the nation,” said Barnett. “We should score points in the sprints, distances, relays, throws and multis. I get pretty excited just thinking about the possibilities and potential of this team.”

THROWS

If the Cougars have an area of strength that stands above the others it has to be the throws where Azusa Pacific features one of the best 1-2 combinations in all of college track & field. Wilhelm and Chukweumeka won 4 of 6 NAIA throwing titles last year (indoor & outdoor shot, weight and javelin), with only the discus and hammer eluding their title-grabbing fingers. Wilhelm scored in all 6 throws and earned All-American recognition in 5 of them while winning the javelin. Chukweumeka, who won both shots and the weight, scored in 5 of the throwing events.

“They are the best 1-2 throwers in the NAIA,” Barnett said matter of fact. “They’ll push for NAIA records in nearly every one of the throws, and Vanessa is gunning to qualify for the U.S. championships in the javelin.”

Senior Julie Roberts and sophomore Kristi Young both gained valuable experience at the national meets last year and figure to press for All-American recognition this y ear. Roberts’ strong suit is the shot while Young, who will miss the indoor season while recovering from elbow surgery, stands out in the discus.

At the 2003 NAIA Indoor Championships, Wilhelm and Chukweumeka are expected to combine for 30 to 36 points and up that total to the 55- to 64-point range for the outdoor meet. And judging by winning totals at recent NAIA meets, they could nearly win the team championships by themselves. Yet, that pressure won’t need to be on their shoulders.

DISTANCES

Over the past 3 years, Azusa Pacific has methodically developed a strong and deep distance program that features no less than 10 runners who have competed on the national level.

The sophomore Carstensen, who surprisingly won the indoor 1000 as a rookie last year, is the leader of a outstanding corps Cougar distance runners that includes cross country All-Americans Horton and Christine Krause. A year ago, Azusa Pacific tallied 19 points in the distances at the outdoor championships, 12 of which came off Carstensen’s feet (third place finishes in the 800 and 1500), and if the truth were told, the Cougars expected more of themselves in those events.

“This is where the added year of maturity is going to show itself,” said Barnett. “These are talented and experienced runners who can score in a variety of events. The challenge to our coaching staff will be where to strategically place them to maximize their potential points.”

Juniors Lisette Saucedo and Laurie Ramirez and sophomore Marissa Reeber all earned All-American recognition on relays last year and now are set to claim the national honor in individual distance races while bolstering relay teams in the 4x800 and distance medley.

“The competition for the fourth runner on those relays should be intense,” said Barnett.

The Cougars have the depth and skill to score in all the distance events, from the 800, 1500, steeplechase, 5000, to 10,000 and even the marathon.

SPRINTS

Junior Janessa Lepp leads an improved set of sprinters and looks to return to her 2001 freshman form when she was the Canadian junior champ in both the 200 and 400 meters and was the NAIA runner-up in the 400. Though she gained her third All-American honor in last year’s NAIA indoor 400, she struggled over the second half of the outdoor campaign.

“Janessa isn’t blazing fast, but she is amazingly strong,” said Barnett. “She runs at a consistent speed and is just tougher than everyone else in her races. She appears to be at full strength again, and I expect her to anchor our 4x4 and compete for the national honors in the 400 and maybe even the 400 hurdles.”

Tamara Jones, who was an All-American in the indoor 600 last year, looks to continue her move toward the elite long sprinters in the NAIA. She should vie for individual recognition in the 600 again and the 400 on the outdoor circuit. Her strength and experience make her a valued commodity on the relays as well.

As a first-year Cougar in 2002, senior Nicole Parsons-Shaw earned All-American recognition on the relays. She is pressing for individual recognition this year in the 100 or 200 meters.

Sophomore Niema Golphin-Miller may be the most improved Cougar among the sprinters. Now at full strength after suffering through an injury-plagued 2002 campaign, Golphin-Miller has the speed to battle for individual conference titles in the 100 and 200, and could emerge as a big-point sprinter on the national level.

Freshmen Laura Labbee and Lisa Wolverton are the future of Cougar sprints. As for now they figure to run quality legs on the relays as they grow in strength and develop into quality individual sprinters.

“Janessa and Niema give us a good foundation in the sprints,” said Barnett. “Our presence will be known in the sprints this year and our relay teams should be among the best in the nation.”

MULTIS

Azusa Pacific has had a long established presence in the pentathlon and heptathlon. Since 1984, 7 different Cougars have won All-American recognition in the multis and Barnett believes he has 2 more currently in the fold.

Senior Mireya Beltran was fifth in last year’s indoor pentathlon and will look to improve on that performance this year while competing on the outdoor circuit for the first time this year. Beltran scored nearly 3,300 points in the pentathlon last year and with the 4 athletes who finished ahead of her last year all graduating, appears to be one of the top 3 to capture this year’s individual title.

Freshman Renee Eckley will spend the 2003 season working Beltran’s shadow in the multis, yet she has a great future of her own. A celebrated athlete out of West Valley High in Cottonwood, Calif., Eckley is an excellent hurdler and jumper, who with additional training in the throws, could emerge as the NAIA’s top heptathlete in the coming years. For this season, she’ll press for All-American recognition in the long and high jumps and perhaps the pentathlon/heptathlon.

JUMPS

Freshman Sarah Stafford enjoyed a fine prep career in the pole vault at Del Oro High in Loomis, Calif. She figures to compete for All-America honors from the outset of her career.

Hepathletes Beltran and Eckley figure to qualify for the NAIA Championship Meets in the open long and high jumps.

While Azusa Pacific certainly has its eyes set on the national prize, the Cougars haven’t lost focus on the local matters. Azusa Pacific is 2-time defending GSAC champion and has won more conference team titles (10) than any other sports program GSAC history. Yet an 11th conference title won’t come easy. Point Loma Nazarene, the only other school to win the GSAC women’s track & field championship (6 times), poses as a formidable foe again, and not just on the conference level but also on the national scene.

“We won’t be relying on any one event when we get to nationals,” said Barnett. “Fortunately we have strength in many areas. As for the national championship, I would expect us to be battling the usuals – McKendree, Central State (Ohio) and Doane along with Point Loma. I’m confident we’ll compete well on the national level, we have the experience and the talent.”

Now it’s just a matter of clearing that last hurdle – the championship one.