Albion College head track & field coach Lance Coleman says "there is a lot of good talent" on the men's and women's rosters for the 2019-2020 track & field season.
However, for Albion to move up in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association standings at the indoor championship meet in February and the outdoor championship meet in May, it will need to score points in its strong events and pick up some points it doesn't expect in other events.
"We have to score points where we think we can score them, particularly in the sprints, jumps and throws," Coleman said.
The depth of talent on the women's roster is impressive.
- Cianna Brown, Alexis McGinley, Chalara Sutton and Layla Wilks represented Albion at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship in the 4x100 meter relay. All four are back, with Wilks leading the way as the MIAA indoor and outdoor champion in the sprinting events.
- Brown also achieved a MIAA title last spring as the outdoor champion in the triple jump.
- In the hurdles, Hannah Almhiemid and Cedria Grant were the top two performers in the 60 meters in the MIAA indoor meet last year.
- ShaQuoria Thompson achieved all-region status in throwing events in the shot put (indoor) and discus (outdoor) last year. She advanced to the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship.
Kejuan Frazier, the MIAA indoor and outdoor champion and NCAA outdoor qualifier in the shot put, will lead the men's squad in the throwing events.
Albion also has two of the top distance runners as Adam Ditri and Kiehl Smith gained all-MIAA awards in cross country in the fall. Ditri was the MIAA outdoor champion in the 5,000 meters last spring.
Albion will begin the indoor season with a Saturday meet at Wabash College. The MIAA Indoor Championship meet is scheduled for Feb. 29 in Angola, Ind., and the outdoor meet is April 30 and May 1 at Alma, Mich.
Follow @AlbionXCTF on Twitter for more information about the Albion cross country program. General athletics news can be found on Facebook (facebook.com/albionathletics), Instagram (AlbionAthletics) and Twitter (@GoBrits)
Joe and Julie Serra have given a $5 million leadership gift to launch a fundraising initiative to make two dreams a reality at Albion College. The first is a newly expanded fitness and student activity facility at the site of the current Dow Recreation and Wellness Center. The second is a new or renovated competition facility for the volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball teams that currently call Kresge Gymnasium home.
The College is continuing to raise funds in support of both projects. To learn more, call 517/629-0446 or email advancement@albion.edu