MENOMONIE (January 14, 2016) – The question when talking about the 2016 UW-Stout women's track and field team is "Where to start?"
The Blue Devils, who were recently ranked 15
th in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason rankings, have one of the deepest teams in school history across all of the events.
Stout should be able to compete at a high level in nearly every event.
"This should be a really fun, successful team," said
Kyle Steiner, who is entering his third year as the team's head coach. "Across the board we are very steady. We have a lot of people who can contribute."
The throwers have two athletes with national experience – juniors
Lydia Meier (Middleton) and
Michelle Brandt (Wausau).
Meier qualified to the nationals last year in both indoor and outdoor. Meier qualified to the national meet in the weight throw indoors and the hammer throw outdoors. Meier finished second at the WIAC indoor championship in the weight throw with a toss just short of the school mark. Meier set the school record in the hammer throw when she finished third at the WIAC outdoor championship and also placed sixth in the discus.
Brandt placed sixth in the WIAC indoor championship in the weight throw and advanced to the national championship in the event. Brandt also throws the shot put, and has scored at the conference championship in the event.
Brenna Veenstra (Cedar, Minn) is the lone senior in the throws. Steiner said Veenstra has made serious strides in the offseason to set herself up for a great senior year.
Kayla Pabst (So, Hammond) had an impressive freshman season and this year in the team's annual intra-squad meet recorded a better toss in the weight throw than all of last year. Pabst has shown promise in the discus.
Heidi Lieffort (So, Colfax) is an intriguing athlete, Steiner said. Lieffort is a member of the throws crew where she scored in the discus, but also does the pole vault indoors and javelin outdoors.
Courtney Smith (So, Dassel, Minn), who is in her second year of collegiate track, is more of a distance runner, but she is also willing to try her had at the javelin this spring.
Returners
Laura Mesenburg (Sr, Byron, Minn) and
Danielle Magnuson (Sr, Chanhassen, Minn) will join Lieffort in the pole vault.
Mesenburg qualified to the NCAA outdoor tournament and placed second at the WIAC indoor championship and third at the WIAC outdoor championship.
"Laura has worked really hard and will hopefully threaten at least one of our pole vault records," Steiner said. "Danielle continuously threatens to score at the conference meet. Hopefully, we can see that break this year."
Steiner said the freshman class of four pole vaulters may very well be the best class of incoming vaulters.
Returners
Sarah Willett (Jr, South Beloit, Ill) and
Carli Clifton (Jr, Fisher, Ill) will be joined by transfer
Stefani Friedenfels (Jr, Menomonie) to provide stability in the long and triple jumps.
Clifton last year was three inches short of the school long jump record when she placed third at the WIAC outdoor championship and qualified to the outdoor national meet.
"Hopefully, she will continue to threaten the school record," Steiner said.
Willett narrowly missed qualifying to the national outdoor meet in the triple jump and placed fifth at the WIAC championships.
Friedenfels was a Wisconsin high school state champion in the triple jump and transferred from Minnesota-Duluth. In addition to the triple jump, Friedenfels also competes in the long jump and high jump.
Freshman
Stephanie Pladies (Big Bend) was a multiple time state qualifier in the high jump and jumped well in the fall, Steiner said.
Emily Minniecheske (Sr, Tigerton) and
Morgan Gromowski (Jr, Watertown) will compete primarily in the high jump and both have made some huge steps over the summer and throughout the fall.
The Blue Devils have had a long run of multi-event performers the last several years to qualify to the national events. Senior
Emma Sapiro (Milwaukee) will be making her first run at the multi-events, and Steiner believes she will do a good job with the event.
Steiner said.
"Emma has made a serious effort to improve herself and has shown proficiencies in all events," Steiner said. "We are very optimistic to see where the season will take her."
The hurdles crew is made up of young performers, Steiner said. "We are hoping to get some of the young athletes to contribute at the conference meets," the coach added.
The Blue Devils return three-quarters of their conference champion and All-America indoor 4x400-meter relay team in seniors
Molly Brion (Cameron),
Alex Titterud (Lino Lakes, Minn) and
Laurisa Titterud (Lino Lakes, Minn).
Brion is one of the top 400-meter runners in school history.
Alex Titterud has overcome a number of injuries over her career and had a resurgence last season, Steiner said. Alex was also a member of the 4x100-meter relay school record setting team.
Laurisa Titterud is a 400-800-meter hybrid runner who won the 400 indoor conference championship setting the school record in the event and set the outdoor school record in the 800-meter.
Senior sprinter
Kayla Bertram (Fond du Lac) will add to the stability in the sprints.
Steiner and his staff will need to fill some relay spots that were lost to graduation last season.
"We have a number of people who could fill those spots, " Steiner said. "We have lots of young sprinters that are capable of stepping up to break the 4x100-relay record again this year."
Kate Johnson (Jr, Big Lake, Minn) was a member of the record setting 4x100-relay team, and several young runners will jump into spots, including
Kaitlin Woyak (Fr, Plover).
Seniors
Kathleen Thorn (West Salem) and
Morgan Sweeney (Plum City) will be wrapping up their track by coming off solid cross country seasons. Both earned all-region and all-WIAC honors and Thorn, with her sixth place finish at the national cross country championship, earned All-America honors.
Thorn, a team captain along with Mesenburg and
Alex Titterud, really excels in the long distance runs. Last season, she won the WIAC indoor 5000-meter title and finished third in the 3000-meter. During the outdoor season, Thorn qualified to the national championship in the 10,000-meter.
"Kathleen and Morgan should anchor our distance squad," Steiner said.
Coming off one of the best cross country seasons in school history, the distance crew should be able to contribute significantly, especially with the number of the freshmen and young athletes that ran on the conference and regional cross country teams this fall.
At the mid-distances,
Courtney Shaffer (So, Fairchild) and
Grace Weber (So, Coon Valley) put together some of the top 800-meter times in school history.
"This should be one of the best women's track teams in school history," Steiner said. "We will have the opportunity to do more at the conference level than in the past."
The Blue Devils open the season Saturday, Jan. 16 when they host UW-River Falls in a dual in conjunction with the annual alumni meet starting at 1 p.m. Stout will host the UW-Stout Open Saturday, Jan. 23 and the Warren Bowlus Open, Friday, Jan. 29 and Saturday, Jan. 30.
