Between graduation losses and an unusually large group of women studying abroad the spring semester, The College of Wooster is missing more than 40 percent of its scoring (37.5 of 85.5 points, not including relays) from last spring's North Coast Athletic Conference Track & Field Championships.

While that amount of points may seem a lot to overcome, Wooster has a rich tradition of reloading, rather than rebuilding under long-time head coach Dennis Rice and his staff. The Fighting Scots have finished among the top-five 21 out of 25 times at the NCAC meet in early May, including each of the last four seasons.

"We have some people that we're going to be missing from last year's conference team, but I'm really excited that we can still make an impact at the NCAC level," said Rice. "We definitely have a core group of women (who) will set the tone for the whole program."

Without a doubt, multi-event standout and senior tri-captain KateLynn Riley will lead the way. She is the defending NCAC champion in both the indoor 55-meter hurdles (8.76) and outdoor 100-meter hurdles (15.64). Riley, also a 2008 All-American volleyball player, was the runner-up in the heptathlon last spring with 3,892 points and she figures to be among the favorites in the first-ever NCAC pentathlon this winter. In addition to the hurdles, she competes in the long jump and javelin regularly.

Another returning all-conference performer is junior Elizabeth Wardrop. A jump specialist, Wardrop's 2009 season included tying for third in the indoor high jump (4 feet, 9.75 inches), and placing fifth and sixth in the outdoor triple jump (31 feet, 10 inches) and high jump (4 feet, 9.75 inches), respectively. She also has the potential to make an impact in the long jump.

Wooster has a number of others with the talent to reach all-NCAC status, including the likes of sophomore distance runner Sarah Appleton, sophomore long sprinter Natasha Blaise, junior hurdler Whitney Rappole, and junior jumper/sprinter Miriam Wise. Appleton just missed out on the track honor in her debut season, taking fourth in the NCAC in the steeplechase (12:11.89), the same placement Rappole notched in last year's outdoor 400 hurdles (1:10.22). Rappole is already a team tri-captain, along with Wise, who looks to build on her seventh-place in the outdoor long jump (15 feet, 6 inches), while Blaise aims to improve on a fourth-place in the outdoor 400 meters (1:01.19).

Additional veterans to watch include junior Dana Culbert, sophomore Brenna Hatcher, sophomore Kelsie Herring, sophomore Claire Miller, and sophomore Meredith Shaul in the middle distance area, junior hurdler Elizabeth Fridley, and throwers Somadina Iworisha, Melanie Sidman, and Cassandra Zavis. Iworisha, a junior, has made an impact in the javelin, while sophomores Sidman and Zavis will focus on the discus/javelin and hammer/discus, respectively.

Rice is also cautiously optimistic about the prospects for the first-year class, which includes Colleen O'Neil and Erin Plews-Ogan, who have already proved themselves as all-NCAC cross country runners, as well as high jump specialist Abena Boamah-Acheampong, sprinter Hannah Woodske, and pole vaulters in Gabriella Benkovits, Kate Hunt, and Emily Williams among others.

"We want to continue what we're doing, which means challenging the top teams in the conference in all areas," Rice summarized. "Our relays should be very strong. We're a very well-rounded program and … that's what we're looking at maintaining."