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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 women's track and field team will have events starting at 5:00 p.m.

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

Women's Team Overall:
“Our team has been making steady progress in our rebuild.  We finished 2012 with a good outdoor season and return all our points and finalists and now have to be considered a veteran team to put it all together,” 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. “The HL has really improved as a track & field conference and we don't have a superstar to carry us, but we cover the bases with the potential to score in many areas.  We will need everyone to take advantage of the opportunities and help the team succeed.”

Women's Sprints:
Nikia Duncan, Nicole Meisner, Brandee Hart, and Jasmine Greene are looking to pick up the void left by Sequoyia Calhoun, who set a new Horizon League record winning the 400m at the Horizon League Indoor Championships a year ago. Duncan and Meisner scored back-to-back for the Titans in the 60m at the HL Indoor Championships, placing fifth and sixth, respectively. Hart came in third in the 200m, while Greene was fifth in the 400m. The HL Outdoor Championships saw Duncan and Meisner compete for the top Titan finish with Duncan coming in second in the 100m and Meisner placing fifth. Meisner was also third in the 200m. Malita Rutherford also made an appearance in the top ten at the outdoor championships coming in ninth in the 400m.

“Nikia and Nicole give us a strong 1-2 combination in the sprints and they have made tremendous progress in their careers.  The next step for them is the toughest.  We've only had 1 sub-12 in the 100m and they both are on the verge,” said Murray.

Liz Arroyo, Shannon Marchant and Taylor Ragland are other returners that will be in the mix as well as newcomers Jessica Doherty, Allison Garner and Alani Letang, who each have the ability to help contribute this year.

Women's Hurdles:
UDM will return Hart in the hurdles event as she placed seventh in the 60H during the HL Indoor Championships a year ago. For the outdoor campaign, Hart set a UDM record running the 100H in 14.25 to place sixth at the conference championships. Olivia Smid also scored for the Titans posting a fourth-place finish in the 400H, and will look to continue her streak in her upcoming senior year that has seen her score in each of the last three years.

Greene and Sharonda Vesey will also look to make their mark in the hurdles in 2013 as well as newcomer Aisha Potts-Tyre, who has a chance to make her mark and move into one of the scoring spots.

“The HL sprint hurdles has been one of the toughest events the past couple of years. Brandee has done well and we're looking to get others into the scoring mix,” added Murray.

Women's Mid-Distance:
Sarah Martinez, Ciara Curley-Poppe, Sara Taylor, Katie Weishaar and Smid will return in 2013. Martinez set a new PR in the Titan top-10 in the 800m last season, while Curley-Poppe placed eighth in the 1500m becoming the first Titan to break into the top-10 in the 1500m since 2003. New faces include Louisa Coppola and Haley Morairty. Coppola earned All-Conference first team honors in cross country this year as she placed fifth at the conference championships and will look to build on that for the track and field season.

“Ciara got healthy and had a great outdoor season, especially in the 1500m which is a relatively new event for her,” said Murray. “Louisa became our first All-HL in cross country since 2005.”

Women's Distance:
Zeinab Baydoun and Katrina Oberski will pace the distance runners after both scored in the 3000m steeplechase at the HL Outdoor Championships last season. Torrie Eger and Rachel Hofsess also return for Detroit and will be in the scoring mix as UDM looks to climb its way to the top of the Horizon League ladder.

“Katrina has made great progress in her career. She had a great fall and is ready for a big senior season,” said Murray. “Zeinab had a rough rookie season, but showed good determination to end the year as a HL scorer.”

Women's Jumps:
Stephanie Cuniberti (high jump) and Kayla Zauner (pole vault) both make returns in 2013 for UDM. The long jump and triple jump will feature Susan Kalkstein, who was a HL scorer in both events at the 2010 HL Outdoor Championships. Whitney Rogers and Zauner will join Kalkstein in both events, while Taylor Ragland and Bri Soule will participate in the long jump. Rogers was a HL finalist placing seventh in the triple jump at the outdoor competition a season ago and will look to build off that performance.

“Triple jump is our best of the jumps and we face a very challenging HL field,” said Murray. “Susan needs to regain her health and get back in the HL battles and Kayla discovered the triple jump late and made it into the Titan top-10, just narrowly missing the HL final.”

Women's Throws:
The trio of Stephanie Blanchard, Lauren Berlin, and Allyson Koglin will return to action for the Titans. Blanchard was a HL finalist in the shot put last season, Berlin was a scorer in the shot put in 2011, while Koglin stepped in and was also a finalist in the HL Outdoor Championships last year in both the hammer and the weight throw.

“Our group is now all upperclassmen and they have made steady progress and are ready to move up and get some HL points,” said Murray. “Lauren has really developed with the shot put and she broke through to 42' in her unattached competitions as a redshirt last spring.”
 
Women's Combined Events:
Amanda Campbell will return after posting her best season last year and picking up her first points placing sixth in the heptathlon at the HL Outdoor Championships. She will also compete in the pentathlon in the HL Indoor Championships after placing fifth last season. Hana Hunt is another talent who will look to improve on her events aside from the 800m where she improved over 200 points to move into fourth place in the heptathlon at the HL Indoor Championships. Potts-Tyre will be a newcomer to this event and her hurdling ability will give her a great head start as a freshman.
 
Women's Relays: 
The 4x100m has three veteran legs with Duncan, Meisner, and Hart making up three-quarters of the relay team with a number of younger options for the fourth leg. The veteran group is looking be a challenger for a top spot in the HL Championships.
 
The 4x400m team during the HL Indoor Championships last year was in prime position to win it all after the first three legs were run by Greene, Duncan, and Hart but a late hamstring pull from Calhoun kept the Titans out of the hunt and this year the group will be looking to avenge and finish on top.
 
The DMR will see UDM with two members of Macomb Community College's 2011 NJCAA National Championship DMR team as Curley-Poppe and Coppola will look to help Detroit score in the DMR race in 2013. 

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