What more could women’s track coach Sherman Hart ask for?
He’s got a talented group of sprinters that are as fast as they are deep, quality middle distance depth, some of New England’s best pole vaulters and jumpers, and a young and improving distance squad. Oh, yeah, don’t forget his tireless coaching staff, and their incredible will to win while hurdling every obstacle thrown at them.
The sprints, perennially NU’s strength, are just among the list of things that the current Husky regime can succeed at.
“Sure, we’re good in the sprints,” said Hart. “But we’re also good in middle distance, and the field events. About the only thing we haven’t proven we can do on a consistent basis are the distance events. But we’re still young and improving there.”
NU is coming off perhaps its best indoor season in the history of the school. The Dogs coasted through the America East and New England championships before finishing second in the ECAC meet, the school’s highest finish ever. The ECAC meet features Division 1 powerhouses Seton Hall, Villanova, and Syracuse. Despite the fact that NU only has 11 scholarships, seven less than any of the other top 15 finishing programs, the Huskies haven’t had a tough time recruiting top level classes.
“It’s a credit to my staff,” Hart said. “I hope the University looks at that, and decides to give us more money. If we had 18 scholarships a year, there is no limit to what we can achieve. The program sells itself right now.”
The Huskies return perennial conference favorite Ebony Jack in the 100-meter dash, with her eyes on her second straight America East crown in the event. Jack should also figure prominently in Hart’s sprint relays, teams she anchored last year.
Joining Jack in the starting blocks will be sophomore phenom Ahndraea Allen. Allen, just a freshman last season, stepped in and showed immediate results in her first outdoor season. Her encore?
“The thing I have to remember with Ahndraea is that she’s still growing out on the track,” Hart said. “We put her in the 400 last year, and it was her first time running it. She hasn’t even been running the event for an entire year, so for her to be doing as well as she has been says a lot about her talent.” Allen, last year’s outdoor track MVP, has already been a part of two new NU records for the indoor track season. In the 400, an event still new to Allen, she flew her way to a record of 53.97 seconds. As a part of the 4×400 meter team, Allen lowered the mark to 3:44.02.
Speaking of records, freshman Jordine Kimbrel’s impact eerily mirrors that of Allen’s first season. Kimbrel set NU records in the 60-meter dash (7.49 seconds), and the 200 (24.3). Kimbrel set the 60-meter record in her first collegiate event.
“Jordine is on the same level as Ahndraea,” Hart said. “They’re among the best sprinters in New England.”
At last year’s New England outdoor championships, Hart and the coaching staff had to run Jack and Allen in four and five events, respectively. Hart saw a lack of depth as the team’s Achilles heel last season, but feels comfortable with the team’s depth in ’03.
“We feel like we have some serious depth this year,” he said. “Now we won’t have to put such a burden on our top couple runners, we can spread it out a lot more. We also feel like we can sweep a lot of events this year, or place multiple people in the top three.”
Yet another strength of the team are the field events. Freshman Zara Northover placed 15th in the Division 1 NCAA championship in the shot put.
“Zara has been great for us,” Hart said. “15th in the nation for a freshman isn’t bad.”
The pole vaulting crew, headed by Joanelle Bailey-Chandler, Courtney MacLaren, and Jenn Curato, have had success both at the America East and the New England levels. All three placed in the top five at the America East meet, while the trio placed in the top four of the New England meet. Bailey-Chandler, the reigning New England outdoor champion, will look to finish her NU career on a good note.
“That’s one thing that the men’s and women’s programs have in common,” Hart said. “On both of those teams, we’ve got some of the best pole vaulters in New England. In the women’s case, we’ve got the best.”
Before last season’s championship meet success, Hart felt his team was lacking the desire needed to perform at peak level. The team got that boost, according to Hart, at the tail end of last year and has carried the attitude to the current campaign.
“That competitive fire started last year and has springboarded to this year,” Hart said. “The upperclassmen have done it before, they know what it takes. The freshman bring us a fire, and a fearlessness that we needed. They aren’t afraid of anyone.”
Although Hart has high expectations for the team, he doesn’t expect them to repeat their indoor success.
“I think we have to beware of everyone in the conference,” Hart said. “When you’re at the top, there is only one direction for the other teams to look — up. They’ve established themselves now, the other teams will gun for us. I would like for this team to have the same success as the indoor season, but that won’t be easy.”
