Dec. 2, 2010
Annapolis, Md. -
The Navy men's indoor track and field program will begin its 2010-11 season by hosting the 12-team Navy Invitational on Saturday from the Wesley A. Brown Field House. The meet will begin at 11 am.
Season Preview
The 2010-11 Navy men's track and field team returns three NCAA East Region qualifiers and nine IC4A All-East performers to a squad that placed third at both the Patriot League Indoor and Outdoor Championships a year ago. Longtime head coach Steve Cooksey is back for his 27th season and has his team ready for another successful campaign and will build upon a combined 9-3 dual record a year ago.
"We've got a chance to move up from where we've been the last couple of years," said Cooksey. "By being focused the entire year and doing the work; we will see it pay off later. If we can get the kids to train, we have enough to move us up from where we've been."
Navy is poised to have a very strong mid-distance unit, which will be led by senior Andrew Hanko, one of the most accomplished mid-distance runners in Navy history. The cross country team won its third straight Patriot League title during the 2010 fall season.
"The cross country team has set the tone and we want to keep everyone focused on what they just did: win the Patriot League, beat Army, go beyond the regular season. They have given us a great springboard to the season."
Distance
Following a third-straight cross country league championship, Navy's distance unit is poised to once again make a strong scoring impact. The star of Navy's distance unit is Hanko. After doubling in the 3,000 and the 5,000 at the indoor league meet, Hanko was named the Patriot League Track-Athlete of the Meet and he won the individual titles at the past two Patriot League Cross Country Championships. Hanko enters the track season in top shape and is coming off an appearance in the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championship. Hanko is Navy's top returner in the 3,000 and 5,000 and will also score in the 1,500 and mile.
"We're coming off a pretty good fall and we achieved most of our goals," said assistant coach Al Cantello. "We have solid milers - and they can go up or down and run different events - so it gives us some range. All of our runners have range from the 1,000 to mile and 3,000. We should fair well in our league in distances and mid-distances."
Junior Cody Rome teams with Hanko to bolster the strongest mid-distance corps in the Patriot League. Rome was an NCAA East Regional Qualifier and IC4A All-East performer in the 1,500 a year ago. He also won the 1,000 at the indoor league championship. Rome is the team's top returner in the 1,500 and the mile.
Junior Dominac Della Pelle recorded Navy's top 1,000 time a year ago and will join Hanko and Rome as one of Navy's fastest runners in the 1,500, mile and 3,000. Junior Jeremy Haney is also back after placing eighth in the 1,000 at the IC4A Indoor Championships last season. Senior Matthew De Villers will bring experience to Navy's distance group in the mile, 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000.
"We went 1-2-3 (Hanko, Rome, Della Pelle) in the 1,500 in the Patriot League last season and they are all back. If we put all three runners in the mile this year, we expect to go well under 4:05 and Hanko would be the flag-bearer."
Sophomore Dean Black returns after an outstanding rookie campaign. Black excelled in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, winning the outdoor Star Meet against Army, the Patriot League Championship and also placed 10th at the IC4A meet, just missing All-East honors. Black was named the 2010 Patriot League Outdoor Championship Rookie of the Meet.
Senior and team captain David Ash will be one of the team's top scorers in the 400, 500 and 800. Ash earned IC4A All-East and All-Patriot League Second Team honors as a member of the 4x800 relay team in 2010. He was also a member of the Patriot League-winning distance medley relay team.
"Between our distance guys moving down to 800 and our long sprints guys moving up to 800, I think we have that event covered pretty well and we have some real depth in that event," said Cooksey. "There could be six people who are 1:52 or better."
Sprints/Hurdles
The duo of junior Alexander Jackson and sophomore Travis Fanning will serve as Navy's top returners in the 200 and 400. Jackson scored in the 400 at the Patriot League Outdoor Championship in the 400. Fanning boasts the team's second-best times in the 200 and 400, behind Jackson.
Junior Matthew Evers joins Jackson and Fanning to give Navy three returnees with sub-50.00 times in the 400. Evers currently has the best time on the team in the 500 and will also be a contributor in the 800.
Junior Isaac Teichgrab is the squad's top returnee in the shorter sprints and will lead Navy's efforts in the 60 and the 100.
A talented freshmen class will also compete immediately in the sprints. Brett Bogaard was the Iowa State Champion in the 100 and Wynton El claimed the New Mexico State Championship in the 60. Freshmen Blake Bowell and Robert Andon will also contribute to the sprints.
"Overall in the short sprint, I think we are ahead of where we were last year," said Cooksey. "I think we have enough to build on and we have some hopeful optimism of where we can go with that group. We have four or five young sprinters who we think can be very good."
Sophomore Mitch Simmonds will lead Navy in the 60m and 100m hurdles. Simmonds placed seventh in both events at the Patriot League Outdoor Championships as a freshman and should be counted on to score in both events in his sophomore year.
"Simmonds is a very good hurdler," said Cooksey. "From the way the fall is going, he is looking like a person who should place at the Patriot League. He will be one that we are counting on week in and week out in the hurdles."
The Midshipmen return a strong contingent in the relay area. Ash, Evers, Della Pelle and junior George Stevenson are all back from a 4x800 relay team that placed third at the IC4A Indoor Championship last season to earn All-East honors.
"We should do very well in the 4x800 and the 4x400," said Cooksey. "I think we have enough talent in those two relays to run fairly well. I think we could at least place in the conference, and could be at the top of it and also qualify for the IC4As."
Additionally, Ash, Della Pelle, Stevenson and senior Aaron Foote are all back and set to defend their distance medley relay title from last season's indoor league meet.
Throws
The throwing unit will have to move ahead without standout and 2010 graduate Mark Van Orden. Van Orden was a staple of the Navy track and field program, earning a pair of Academic All-American honors while also racking up IC4A All-East accolades in the hammer and weight throws.
Junior Christopher Ricks is Navy's top returner in the weight throw, hammer and javelin. Ricks qualified for the NCAA East Regional in the javelin a year ago and had top-four finishes in the javelin and weight throw at the Patriot League Championships.
Junior Chris Boniwell will lead Navy's efforts in the shot put and discuss. Boniwell had a strong indoor season in 2010, placing third in the shot put at the league meet and winning the event at the Wesley Brown Invitational. Boniwell also recorded Navy's top discus toss (161'6") in 2010.
Sophomore Miles Snelgrove will be a key contributor in the javelin in the outdoor season.
"I have high hopes for Miles in the javelin," said assistant coach Chris Campbell. "He has thrown farther this fall then he did last year.
"Ricks, Boniwell and Snelgrove are going to be our three big throwers in the outdoor season," said Campbell.
Seniors Patrick Norwood and Nicholas Porter will provide strong depth to the throwing unit. Each will compete in the weight, discus and hammer throws and have placed in the Patriot League Championship.
"Porter and Norwood should gobble up some points in the indoor season," said Campbell.
Freshmen Zachary Duncavage and Kyle Fortney will also be contributors to the throwing squad.
"Duncavage has thrown well in the weight throw and the hammer throw so far this season and Fortney has been second in the discuss so far."
Jumps/Pole Vault/Multi-Event
Junior multi-eventer Brian Zitterkopf will lead Navy in the heptathlon and decathlon once again this season, and he is also one of Navy's top performers in the long jump, triple jump and high jump. Zitterkopf claimed a fifth-place heptathlon finish at the Patriot League Championship in 2010 and also placed 12th in the high jump at the IC4A indoor meet.
Junior Joshua Houston placed seventh in the high jump at the IC4A Outdoor Championship in 2010 to earn All-East honors. Houston's personal-best in the high jump is 6'8¼".
"We are fairly solid in the high jump and we have a good chance of scoring in that meet at the Patriot League Championship," said Cooksey. "We've got two solid kids for scoring purposes week in and week out with Zitterkopf and Houston."
Juniors Nathan Woodason and Paul Neidhardt are Navy's top returning pole vaulters. Woodason enters the season as the top ranked vaulter, clearing a team-best 15'7" last season. Newcomer Ryan Kochert will also aid Navy's efforts in the event.
"We have three good pole vaulters in Neidhardt, Woodason and Kochert and they should be able to give us a scoring lift in the event," said Cooksey.
Sophomore Miles Snelgrove will once again pace Navy in the long jump. Snelgrove was outstanding against Army as a freshman last season, winning the long jump at the indoor Star Meet and placing second in the event at the outdoor dual against the Black Knights.
Navy Invitational Meet Schedule
Field Events
11:00 am Weight Throw
12:00 pm Long Jump, Pole Vault
Shot Put follows Weight Throw
Triple Jump follows Long Jump
High Jump follows 60m Dash - finals
Running Events
12:00 pm 5000m Run
12:30 pm 60m Hurdles - prelims
12:45 pm 60m Dash - prelims
1:00 pm Distance Medley Relay
1:15 pm 60m Hurdles - finals
1:25 pm 60m Dash - finals
1:35 pm Mile Run
1:45 pm 400m Dash
2:05 pm 800m Run
2:20 pm 3000m Run
2:40 pm 200m Dash
2:55 pm 4x800m Relay
3:05 pm 4x400m Relay
Entry limits: Four (4) Individual entries per team/event, Two (2)
Relay entry per team/event, Non-Scored Meet, Top 9 performers
advance to field event finals
List of participating teams: Navy, American. Bowie State, Coppin State, Delaware State, Elizabethtown, Georgetown, Hampton, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Morgan State, Mount St. Mary's