Carolyn Webster

Taryn Szalay

The College of Wooster women's track and field team, which saw its streak of years represented in the NCAA Div. III Championships extended to six after a successful 2016 campaign, returns a core group of letterwinners that look to lead a surrounding company of scoring potential. Still, head coach Dennis Rice expects the team's full potential to show in increments, contingent upon meeting intermediate goals before peaking at season's close.

"We had an excellent season last year and concluded it by challenging the top schools in the (North Coast Athletic Conference)," Rice said. "We had a national qualifier, which is one of the things we're always striving to do as a staff. One of our main goals is to peak at the outdoor conference championships and have the opportunity to have athletes exposed at the national level and continue our strong tradition of doing so."

After a fourth-place finish at the 2015 outdoor conference championships, and landing one spot back a year ago, the Fighting Scots pose a balanced lineup across the board, particularly in the jumps.

"We feel we have some solid women in that area and they will challenge the top-eight in the conference in the long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole vault," Rice said.

Sophomore Carolyn Webster and junior Elizabeth Obi will look to resume right where they left off, complimented by experienced senior Katie Cameron, who brings depth to the table with big-meet experience.

Webster, who matched the indoor school record in the high jump (5 feet, 6 inches) last year and qualified for the 2016 NCAA Div. III Indoor Track & Field Championships, will also be looked to as one of the Scots' multi-event athletes. Webster won the high jump (5 feet, 5 inches) at last year's indoor conference championships, becoming the College's first freshmen to win a women's individual NCAC indoor title in 22 years. The current sophomore also finished as runner-up at the conference indoor championships in the long jump (17 feet, 11.5 inches), just .5 inches off of W Association Hall of Famer Justina Williams' indoor school record.

"We're confident that Carolyn can make a strong impact in the long jump, high jump and pentathlon," Rice said.

Meanwhile, Obi, who continued to grow into her potential throughout the season, peaked at the right time, capping the season with a career-best triple jump (34 feet, 6.75 inches) at the NCAC outdoor championships, while junior Mackenzie Kellar "shows that she is very close to making the next jump, ability wise, in the pole vault," according to Rice.

Wooster's relays look to carry on a track-record of success. Highlighting this group are 4x400 returnees Julia Higgins and Emani Kelley, both sophomores who were part of last season's record-setting quartet, which capped the outdoor season with a second-place clip (3:56.78) at the outdoor conference championships, breaking the 31-year-old school record in doing so.

"We have had great success with that event over the many years, and we're confident we'll have great success with that event this year," Rice said. "We have a group of women back that will be part of that relay that was all-conference last year. We may make some changes as we go through the season, but that is another relay that should challenge for the top spot in the conference."

In the 4x100, senior Taryn Szalay and classmate Kennedy Payne standout as returnees of a quartet that earned fifth-place (50.08) at the outdoor NCACs last season. Szalay – Wooster's top returning hurdler – placed eighth (16.31) in the conference in the 100 hurdles. In addition, Szalay and junior Lissette Torres, who will be looked to in the long sprints, were part of a Wooster contingent that set the indoor 4x200 school record (1:47.53) two seasons ago.

"In the hurdles, short sprints and long sprints, we are solid. We have a solid group. We have Julia, Lissette, Emani, Taryn, Emani, and then we have other women either coming into the program or that, with development, will challenge one another and help enhance the relays," Rice said.

Returning big-meet contributors in the middle distance events include juniors Ashley Ferguson and Kellar, the latter of which teamed up with Higgins, Kelley, and Torres to round out a young distance medley relay squad that claimed all-conference laurels last season.

"We have a quality (mid-distance) group," Rice said. "We also have a few younger women that are strong but with development can show a great deal of potential." 

After spending last season studying abroad, senior Paige Fabry and sophomore Kassady Murphy highlight the Scots' returning throwers. Both are expected to contend in the shot put, hammer throw and discus.

Distance proves to be a relatively young area for the Scots, featuring potential talent as well as newcomers such as senior cross country standout Kayla Zboran, who possesses strong scoring potential and can potentially rival some of the best talent in the conference. All coming off the fall cross country season, sophomores Sophie Hawkins and Collier Summay, along with seniors Emily Reid and Jackie White, are expected to provide depth to the Wooster distance company. 

"The distance program a solid group of women, and if that group of women can stay healthy from now till the outdoor championships, they'll make a positive impact within the team concept," Rice said.

With the addition of numerous first-years and newcomers, Rice expects to see a highly competitive group this season.

"Overall, we want to make improvements each week and hit our intermediate peak at the indoor championship, where we will evaluate the team and see what we need to do to make improvements as we enter the outdoor season. Then our ultimate goal is to hit our ultimate peak at the outdoor season and continue our strong tradition of having women compete at the national outdoor championships."

Wooster commences the 2017 season on Friday, Jan. 13 at the Crimson & Gold Invitational at Oberlin College, with field events starting at 5:30 p.m. followed by the track events at 7 p.m.