The NCAA News - News and Features

May 19, 1997

Division II

Wildcats expected to coast again

Event: 1997 Division II Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Overview: Abilene Christian, winner of three consecutive team titles, seeks to extend its dominance another year. It's extremely likely that the Wildcats will accomplish the objective. After posting a 50-point margin of victory in 1996, coach Wes Kittley's squad returns several standouts, including defending individual champions Delloreen Ennis (100-meter hurdles) and Tracey Barnes (400-meter dash). Add Katina Sommers (200- and 400-meter dashes), Vivian Ruitjers (1,500- and 3,000-meter runs), Renna Toniste (triple and high jumps) and Monique Kuenen (discus throw) to the mix and the Wildcats have more than enough talent and experience to complete a sweep of the indoor and outdoor titles for the fourth consecutive year. Ruitjers and Ennis are 1997 indoor titlists .... The Wildcats' quest for a fourth consecutive title will not go unchallenged. St. Augustine's, runner-up in 1996, places its title hopes with Andrea Giscombe, defending 400-meter intermediate hurdles and long jump champion; Prisca Philip (400-meter dash); Shanaka Walker, who won the indoor long jump title; Shantel Robinson (triple jump); and Shanique Musgrove (javelin throw). St. Augustine's also will rely heavily on its 400-meter relay team .... Lincoln (Missouri) is led by sprints standouts Bev Grant and Lorraine Graham, who have posted the nation's top qualifying marks in the 100- and 400-meter dashes, respectively. Graham, the defending 200-meter dash champion, and Grant also compete on the Blue Tigers' 1,600-meter relay team, which scorched the track with a nation's best qualifying mark of 3 minutes, 34.93 seconds .... Lewis, which placed seventh in 1996, hopes to improve behind strong performances from middle-distance and distance squads led by 3,000-meter run standouts Magdalena Paszta and Malgorzata Biela, Beth Bayser (800- and 1,500-meter runs), and Kasia Arient, the indoor 5,000-meter run champion.

Field: A maximum of 228 student-athletes will qualify for the championships.

Dates and site: May 22-24 at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 1629 for dates/site/schedule, 5311 for qualifiers, 5312 for first-day results, 5313 for second-day results, 5314 for third-day results and 5315 for final results only. Championships results also will be available on the World Wide Web at www.ncaa.org. Results will be published in the June 2 issue of The NCAA News.