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North seeks ECIC Division I crown
North's first dual league meet of 2008 is slated for 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, at Clarence. Clarence beat North, 78-63, last year and won ECIC Division I with a 4-0 record. North finished 3-1, its best record in ECIC I since 1988. "This meet has been our focus since the end of last season," said North coach Julian Blake. "Everything the kids did in cross country and indoor track has been geared towards beating Clarence. If we can beat Clarence and win the division, which is our goal, it would prove to me that we are state contenders." Blake thinks his team has a legitimate shot at defeating Clarence because they have more depth and balance in the lineup than in previous years. "We now have depth and balance - two key components for a successful season," said Blake. "We have a lot of veteran girls in this sport and younger girls who recognize that the track program is just as strong and good as lacrosse or softball." North is led by senior captains Meredith Kirby, Sarah Mikulski and Michele Bauman and junior captain Lauren Triantafillou. Each has been with the program for at least three years. Kirby returns for her fourth year and second year as captain. Blake calls Kirby a "powerful runner with speed" whose best event is the open 400 meters. Kirby can also triple jump, run the 200 and has been working on running farther distances than normal, like the 800. Mikulski took second in the 100 hurdles at last year's Section VI Championships and qualified for the state meet. She also went to indoor states in the 55 hurdles. In addition to the 100 hurdles, Blake said Mikulski has been training to run the 400 hurdles. She's also capable of running the open 400 and 800. Bauman is a good middle-distance runner whose strongest events are the open 400 and 800. Triantafillou is coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee that she sustained during the soccer season in the fall. She was named a captain for the indoor season but never competed. When cleared to compete this spring, Triantafillou will help North in the 800, 4x800 relay and possibly the 1,500. Other returning seniors include Emily Curry, Kim Schueler and Dawn Hu. Curry, who is headed to the University at Albany to compete in the heptathlon, should be dominant in field events, said Blake. Curry took ninth in the discus and 11th in the triple jump and high jump at last year's sectionals. Curry, in her fourth year on the team, can throw the shot put and disc, high jump, long jump and triple jump and run the 100 hurdles and the 800. Schueler, also in her fourth year, can run middle-distance events starting from the open 400 up to the 1,500. She can also run a leg in the 4x800 relay and high jump. Hu will show off her racewalking skills at the WNY Classic at Lancaster on May 24. Juniors who should also be strong contributors are Kim Berus, Amy Loud, Caitlin Curry and Caitlin Triantafillou. Berus and Caitlin Curry are first-year outdoor runners who gave up playing lacrosse in the spring to help the outdoor team. Berus can run the open 400, 800 and the 1,500. Berus broke the school indoor record in the 1,000. Caitlin Curry will also help in the 800 and the 1,500. Loud is a dynamite sprinter who made it to the semifinal heat of the 100 hurdles and the 200 at sectionals last spring. In addition to these events, the three-year varsity runner can also run the open 100 and 400 hurdles. "Amy has worked extremely hard at running," said Blake. "She stopped playing soccer in the fall, which she loves, and joined cross country. She then transferred that training to the indoor season where she was one our pivotal people. I think she's going to have a fantastic season, especially in the (open) 100 and 400 hurdles." Caitlin Triantafillou will help the team in the 100 and 400 hurdles. Younger athletes from whom Blake is looking for good results are sophomores Raven Baxter, Jessica Little, Shelbey Gray and Natalie Worley and eighth-graders Rachel Dorogi and Sarah Loud. Baxter is back for a second year with the team and will look to improve in the long jump. In a scrimmage against Starpoint, Baxter long jumped 15-8. "She has the potential to go 17 feet and even take a shot at the school record (18 feet)," said Blake. Baxter is also a talented shot putter. Blake said Baxter has the potential to throw 30 feet. Baxter can also run the open 100 and 200. She's also tried pole vaulting, triple jumping and hurdling in practice. Little, whom Blake describes as a "power sprinter," will help in the open 100, 200 and 400. Blake calls Gray a pivotal person in the 100 hurdles. She can also compete in the 400 hurdles. "Amy Loud, Sarah Mikulski and Caitlin Triantafillou all train together and push the others harder in practice, so girls like Shelbey have made huge strides in the hurdles," said Blake. Worley is a distance runner from whom Blake sees great results this spring. "I believe this is a breakout season for Natalie," said Blake. "She was always the girl in the shadows and running with heart but never able to make an impact against other teams. I think she has the potential to really shock some coaches and runners this year in the mile and two-mile, probably more so in the two-mile." Dorogi is another solid distance runner who is coming off a great rookie season in indoor track. "She is what I am building my distance team around," said Blake. "She's going to be so important for us in the two-mile." Dorogi can also run the 800 and the 1,500.
Sarah Loud can also run distance, primarily the 800 and the 1,500. She's also capable of hurdling and running the 100 and 400. |
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