The NCAA News - News and Features

March 9, 1998

Division II Women's Indoor Track

Wildcats look like solid favorite

Event: 1998 Division II Women's Indoor Track Championships.

Overview: Looking for a favorite? You can't go wrong with Abilene Christian. Consider that the Wildcats have earned nine of the last 10 championships, including the last five. Also consider that seven of the Wildcats' victories have been by 20 or more points. This year, Abilene Christian may not romp to victory, but it is a solid favorite to retain the title. Individually, the Wildcats look to the junior trio of Delloreen Ennis (55-meter dash and hurdles), Tracey Barnes (400-meter dash) and Vivian Ruijters (mile and 5,000-meter runs). Ennis is vying to become the first competitor to win three consecutive 55-meter hurdles titles, while Ruijters seeks to successfully defend her mile-run crown. As of February 17, Ennis posted the top qualifying mark in the 55-meter hurdles (7.64 seconds), while Barnes was the only competitor to post a time under 55 seconds (53.91 converted) in the 400-meter dash. The Wildcats also should receive points from Rachel Martinez, who posted the best mark in the high jump (1.78 meters/5 feet, 10 inches) and Monique Kuenen, who registered the second-best mark in the shot put (14.45/47-5) .... St. Augustine's, which claimed the 1997 outdoor crown, hopes to repeat the feat indoors. The Falcons have finished as runner-up the last two years. St. Augustine's relies on senior Prisca Philip (55-meter dash), sophomore Shanaka Walker (long jump), junior Lisa Taylor (55-meter hurdles and long jump) and junior Denise George (shot put). The defending long-jump champion, Walker ranked third in the long jump (19-5) and second in the triple jump (38-81Ž2). George was first in the shot put (15.72/51-7), and Taylor ranked third in the 55 hurdles (8.02 converted) and fourth in the long jump (19-3) .... Individually, Western State's Ermelinda Shehu (triple jump) and Ashland's Becky Ball (weight throw) are vying for their third consecutive titles in those events.

Field: The Division II Championships Committee has approved a qualifying procedure that allows for a maximum of 120 student-athletes.

Dates and site: March 13-14 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Butler and USA Track and Field are cohosts.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 1575 for dates/site/schedule, 5280 for qualifiers, 5281 for first-day results, 5282 for second-day results and 5283 for finals-only results. Championship results also will be available on the World Wide Web at www.ncaa.org. Results will be published in the March 23 issue of The NCAA News.