Senior Justin Robinson anchors Wooster's up-and-coming throws group.

Last year, a senior-driven team helped The College of Wooster men's track and field program to third-place finishes at the North Coast Athletic Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships, marking the Fighting Scots' highest showings since 2001 and 2003, respectively. Now, a talented mix of younger guys who played both featured and supporting roles in the third-place finishes, plus several newcomers, are tasked with maintaining, or improving, the Scots ranks within the conference.

"We're very excited about the potential we have heading into the season, especially building off the enthusiasm and success we had last season," said head coach Dennis Rice. "It gives the younger guys the opportunity to be a big part of that success we had last season and set the tone for the upcoming season."

Conference champions Matt Klonowski and William McMichael headline the returnees. Klonowski, a junior, won the 800 meters at the conference's outdoor championships, while McMichael, a sophomore, swept 400-meter titles at last year's league championships.

"Being conference champions, we're expecting quite a bit out of Matt and Will in individual events and relays," summed up Rice. "They are very important pieces of our overall team concept."

Middle distance projects to be an area of strength for the Scots, with senior Aedan Pettit back in the fold to provide a strong complement to Klonowski. Pettit's coming off all-conference honors on the cross country course, and he was part of Wooster's all-conference and school record distance medley relay at last year's NCAC Championships.

"Aedan's a big championship performer," stated Rice. "There's a lot of potential throughout our middle-distance ranks. As long as we stay healthy and work hard, we'll get the results once we get to the championship portion of the season."

Wooster's fared well in the jumps at the conference championships in recent years, and that very well could be the case again this year. Rising sophomore Kristian Coleman earned all-conference honors in the triple jump, and Rice is "expecting big things out of him this season to see if he can challenge the top guys in the conference and take it to the national level." Classmate Richard Pajak gained valuable experience as a rookie and was a top-five high jumper within the NCAC last year.

Wooster's sprinters and hurdlers could be on the verge of ranking among the best in the conference, especially if the Scots are able to establish some depth in individual events. McMichael accomplished just that last year by exploding onto the scene with two all-conference honors on relays in addition to his 400 meters titles. Rice could very well lean on some of his other returning relay contributors to be those individual difference-makers, with juniors Matt Olszewski and Drake Pence standing out among that group. Pence certainly made his mark on the program with two All-NCAC certificates last year on relays, and Rice is looking for him to "make that impact individually in the short sprints."

Senior Miki Rae is back in the fold after missing last season due to studying abroad. He'll be counted on to anchor this distance crew, while a fully-healthy Alexander DeLong could make a big impact come championship time. DeLong worked his way back into the mix in time to finish 10th in the 1,500 meters at last year's NCAC meet.

Senior Justin Robinson leads the way among Wooster's up-and-coming throws group, and Rice is confident they're "capable of doing big things as long as they are patient with their development."

Wooster also has a good mix of returning non-letterwinners, first-years, and upperclassmen who are first-time track and field student-athletes looking to make their mark on the program.

The Scots open the season at Oberlin College's Crimson and Gold January Kick-Off on January 10. Wooster then hosts three straight meets: a tri-meet on January 18, the Fighting Scots Invitational on January 25, and a dual meet against Denison University on January 30. Come outdoor season, the program's annual Wooster Invitational is set for March 27-28.