Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 22, 1992 TAG: 9201210135
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
STRONG JUNIORS GIVE BLACKSBURG GIRLS AN INSIDE TRACK IN REGION IV
Listening to Blacksburg High coach Kim Oliver, you almost begin to feel sorry for the girls' indoor track team."Right now we're a young team," she said. "It's a lot like last year. We don't have a lot of the distance runners who ran cross country."
Then she adds: "But we look fairly strong. I think we could be pretty tough this year."
And its the second statement that has the other coaches in the New River District and Region IV worried. They suspect the Indians are the team to beat.
To make matters worse, much of the damage will be done by juniors - meaning Blacksburg could enjoy favored status again next year.
In the sprints, the Indians will be strong with juniors Katie Ollendick and Christian Daniels and senior Jennifer Kellogg. Ollendick and senior Crystal Matusevich are the team's top competitors in the jumping events. Nikki Shires, another junior, competes in all the field events. And yet another junior, cross-country runner Lynn Price, is the top distance runner.
Blacksburg also has an advantage in depth. Its 35-girl team is almost as large as Christiansburg's (21) and Radford's (16) combined.
Still, the other teams in the district expect to be heard from before the season is done.
"We're not doing too bad, actually," said Christiansburg coach Tim Black. "We're kind of young. But we've got a pretty good crop of freshmen. And we've got a few seniors who've been good performers for us in the past."
Some of those seasoned senior performers include Meggan Crowgey, Rochelle Johnson and Angie Dawson. Crowgey does a little bit of everything - she runs in the sprints and on the relay teams and does several field events. Johnson is a hurdler and Dawson a distance runner.
Three other veteran performers are juniors Jill Johnson and Carrie Porterfield, both distance runners, and sprinter Robin Slikker. Porterfield, however, has been slowed by an injury and may not be back by the end of the season.
The rest of the top athletes all are freshmen. They include distance runner Leslie Cosgriff; middle-distance runners Bethany Eigel and Sarah Slikker; and sprinters Brooke Nunley, Kesha Walton and Kyanne Reeves. Eigel, Slikker and Nunley also are jumpers in the field events.
Radford feels that it, too, has a chance for a good winter campaign. Coach Tony DeHart said he expects his team to battle for a high finish.
The Bobcats will be strongest in the sprint and hurdle events. Seniors Nicki Leighton and Becky Huber and sophomore Jadean Curtis are the hurdlers. Tomica Hubbard and Amy Pridgen, both seniors, are the sprinters. Both Curtis and Hubbard also jump in the field events.
The Turner twins, seniors Sharmelle and Shauntelle, are the team's shotputters. And Jenny Bishop, a sophomore, leads the distance runners. All three were on the girls' basketball team that won the regional title.
The track teams in the New River District and Region IV will decide which is best at Virginia Tech's Rector Field House on Feb. 12. The district and regional meets will be jointly held that day.
Carroll County, the fourth member of the New River District, will compete in both meets.