Women's Track Establishes New Foundations
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
January 14, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. - 1999 marks the beginning of Angela Goodman's tenure as the head coach for the Michigan State womens track and field program. Although she inherits a program that placed tenth in the Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Championships, last season, Goodman is excited about the opportunity to help the Green and White return to a place of prominence in the conference.
"I look back at the records and see that Michigan State has had a great deal of success in its past," said Goodman. "When I talk to people about our program, I tell them about Michigan State tradition. I believe that I have put the coaches in place that can help MSU be a successful team once again."
As a new coach, one of Goodman's biggest obstacles will be learning the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals on her team.
"It can take some time to become familiar with a team and their training habits," explained Goodman. "Part of my job will be reteaching the girls how to train and giving them some confidence in their training. Hopefully, that confidence will then carry over into competition.
"So far, I have been impressed with the team's willingness to learn and adapt to changes I have made. That type of positive attitude will be very helpful as we build our program."
One advantage Goodman has is that she was able to work with some of the athletes in the fall cross country season. Although there are differences between track and cross country, Goodman admits that the exposure to the girls on the team helped her to get a better feel for their potential.
"Once the girls get on the track, I can get a better idea of where they stand by comparing track times. But there is no question that it was a plus to work with them in the fall," said Goodman. "I know who has the longer endurance and who has speed. I also was able to learn what type of competitors these girls are."
When examining the Spartans' prospects in 1999, Goodman is confident they can improve on their finishes in last year's championships. The key will be getting maximum effort from every member of a team that is somewhat hampered by its small number of members.
"Our biggest challenge is getting the personel that we have to do as well as they can," said Goodman. "If that happens, we have athletes that can be competitive in the conference.
"The keys for this year are to keep everybody healthy and push them to exceed their personal bests. We have a lot of people on this team who are coming back from an injury. They need to remain mentally focused on their performance and not worry about their injuries. These girls have potential. My job is to make sure they reach it."
Distance
Without question, this will be the strength of the 1999 Spartans. Leading the way will be juniors Jen Denkins and Leah Nilsson.
In the 1998 Big Ten Indoor Championships, Denkins placed seventh in the 5,000 meters while Nilsson finished 11th. In the outdoor championships, they placed third and ninth, respectively, in the 10,000 meters.
Another junior, Christie Achenbach, will also be a major contributor. She placed 10th in the 3,000 meters at the 1998 Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Junior Sarah Parbel and freshmen Lindsay Rinnan and Ann Somerville are also coming off solid cross country seasons and should give MSU some depth in the distance events.
Middle Distance
This is another area in which the Green and White will be very competitive. The team will be greatly aided by the return of senior Lara Esko. Esko who last competed during the 1996 season, finished eighth in the 800 meters at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Senior Karyn Duba will also be counted on to produce big results. She placed eighth in the mile at the 1998 Big Ten Indoor Championships and 10th in the 1500 meters at the outdoor championships. During the 1998 outdoor season, Duba turned in the top Spartan time in both the 800 and 1500 meters.
Sprints/Jumps
In the sprints, an inexperienced Spartan squad will rely heavily on junior Shante Burke. As a sophomore Burke gained valuable experience and had the opportunity to compete at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
From observing Burke in fall practice, Goodman is impressed with what she has seen.
"Shante has been training really hard in the off season and I think people will see a big improvement over last year," said Goodman
In the jumps, senior Heidi Jackson is the only team member with collegiate experience. Jackson, who is coming off knee surgery, will be joined by freshman Nadia Ricketts. This is an area in which the Spartans will grow stronger as the year progresses.