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DETROIT (12/6/2012) -- The indoor track and field season is set to begin on Friday evening at Notre Dame as the University of Detroit Mercy men's track and field teams will have events starting at 5:00 p.m.

Below are inside looks at each of the different areas of competition on the men's track and field team for the 2012-2013 season.

Men's Team Overall: 
“We hit a bit of a plateau in 2012 after a great 2011,” said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Guy Murray, who begins his 20th year at the helm of Detroit's track and field program. “We had some good performances but not enough to overcome the graduations of 2011.  Our best events might be in the same events that the HL overall is best at so we just have to work a bit hard and be at our best to match the HL.  We have the athletes who are capable of doing it and with another group of seniors we have to get it done now.”
 
Men's Sprints:
The Titans return two Horizon League scorers from last season as Joe Raffin was seventh in the 400m outdoor race and also scored in the 400m in the 2011 indoor season placing third. Charles Anthony also comes back after scoring twice in the outdoor races placing ninth in the 100m and sixth in the 200m. Newcomers Mitch Latray and Colton Wirgau will be looked at to help the Titans overcome the last two graduating classes where the likes of sprinters Vushaun Landrum and Lesley Hanna have helped lead Detroit.
 
Men's Hurdles:
The 4x400H looks to be a strong event for the Titans this season as Aviram Campbell, Vince Lefler, Taylor Hennrick, and Anthony Donald all return for the Titans. The Horizon League is very competitive in hurdles and UDM will look to jump into the top scoring spots and carry some of the load in relays.
 
Last season at the HL Outdoor Championships, Lefler was fourth in the 400H while Hennrick was sixth, Campbell was seventh and Donald was a finalist in the 2011 event. In other hurdles events, Campbell was both the runner-up in the 2011 HL Indoor Championships and was seventh a year ago in the 60H. In the 110H, he was the runner-up in the 2011 HL Outdoor Championships and fifth last year.  Campbell is now in his fifth season with the Titans and has one season of outdoor eligibility remaining in his collegiate career.
 
In the 2012 HL Outdoor Championships, the 110H race saw Steven Ivanics place seventh while Lefler was ninth so there is experience from this group of Titans. Alex Sexton also looks to return and make an impact after not competing in the 2012 outdoor season at all and seeing limited time in indoor.
 
Men's Mid-Distance:
The mid-distance runners return a core group of Bob Radlich, Chris Smalley, Ryan Hofsess, and George Holman while welcoming newcomers Joshua Carolin, Alex Wesche, and Austin Wigent to the mix. The departure of Butler from the conference opens up possibilities for all teams and the Titans are ready to jump into the opening.
 
Radlich is fresh off earning All-Conference second team honors in cross country for his 14^th place finish at the Horizon League Cross Country Championships this year. Smalley also had a great fall and Holman has steadily improved and has the ability to help.
 
“We had a few injuries with our rookies in the fall but we're looking to have them come back and they are going to have an immediate chance to step in and they are capable of helping us out,” said Murray.
 
Men's Distance:
Martin Nelkie returns as the lone scorer from last year's squad after placing sixth in the 10,000m race in the HL Outdoor Championships. Nelkie also earned All-Conference second team honors and finished ninth at the cross country championships earlier this year. Returners Ylli Alla, Colin Creagh, and Edwin Gay will also look to break into the scoring race while Derek Gielarowski looks to make his mark as a newcomer to the group.
 
“We were a pack team in cross country and all the guys were queuing near our top-10 list in the 5000m.  We need to break through and get up there for some of the spots opening with all the seniors who graduated last year in the league,” said Murray.
 
Men's Jumps:
Justin Peguese, Horizon League scorer in high jump at both the indoor and outdoor championships last year, returns in the high jump looking to better his finish this season. The long jump will feature 2011 indoor runner-up Ja'Quan Patterson who was also a scorer in the 2012 outdoor championships in the triple jump. Jeffrey Senecal is also part of the mix and was in the top-10 in the triple jump last season.
 
Men's Throws:
Eric Lewis returns for the indoor season after being the runner-up in the hammer throw at the 2012 HL Outdoor Championships and advancing to the NCAA Hammer Semifinal for the first time in his career. He also set a new school record at the HL Indoor Championships in the weight throw with a first place finish a year ago. He is joined by Jeff Sherman, who scored in the shot put at the outdoor championships, and Colin Cashner who did not compete in the 2012 season with Detroit. Newcomer Jake Millyard joins the group and provides a rarity by having weight/hammer experience.
 
Men's Combined Events:
Taylor Hennrick was the runner-up in the decathlon for the HL Outdoor Championships last season and was also a scorer in the indoor championships in 2012.
 
“Taylor will definitely challenge for an HL title this year and has been a big contributor who can really do it all, scoring in the 400H as well as taking a leg on the 4x100m last year,” said Murray.
 
Men's Relays:
The 4x400m could be the telling sign of the entire men's team this season with the mid-distance runners who can make a difference in the 2013 campaign. 
 
“We didn't get under 3:20 last year and looking at our performances we definitely have the athletes.  The 4x400m is all about effort, competition, and guts and we need to all be fighting for a spot on this team and if we get down to the 3:15 range, you will see it reflected in a positive way overall in how the team performs,” said Murray.

The 4x100m will have fewer sprinters to work with this year making it a full-team effort and the DMR has some room to grow with rookies and different individuals in different legs of the race who can step up and help the team out this year but the early races will dictate who be competing when the conference championships are up.

What's Next:
The next event for the men's and women's indoor track and field squads will be on Jan. 11 as the Titans will head to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to compete in the Central Michigan Invitational.