Men’s Indoor Track & Field Prepares for Big-Meet Success
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College men’s indoor track & field team has been selected to win its fifth straight Landmark Conference title and sixth overall in the 2013-14 coaches’ preseason poll, but that is not the final goal for a Greyhound team returning a talented and confident nucleus of student-athletes.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College men's indoor track & field team has been selected to win its fifth straight Landmark Conference title and sixth overall in the 2013-14 coaches' preseason poll, but that is not the final goal for a Greyhound team returning a talented and confident nucleus of student-athletes.
Director of Men's & Women's Track & Field and Cross Country Jesse Baumann would like his squad to peak this winter during the indoor track & field postseason in the ECAC and NCAA Division III Championship meets in March of 2014.
Baumann and the Greyhounds have set the bar high for themselves, but the third-year headman knows when to walk the line between confidence and cockiness.
"We saw this last year when we were really confident about our freshman class coming in, but Susquehanna ended up coming in a lot stronger than we anticipated," Baumann said. "Not that they needed a lesson, but it was a nice reinforcing factor to never get comfortable, cocky or complacent. We expect to attempt to win the conference, but we can't rest on our past laurels or the preseason poll."
For the 2013-14 indoor season, there is plenty to be confident about. Moravian returns an All-American jumper in senior Kristopher Joint, a Bethlehem native. Joint qualified for the indoor national championships last season, and finished sixth in NCAA DIII in the long jump. He set a new school record in the triple jump last winter with a mark of 14.91 meters (48' 11") and a career-high mark in the long jump with a leap of 7.20 meters (23' 7½"). Joint is the reigning Landmark champion in the long and triple jump events.
Senior David Cariello and junior Ryan Karnopp also return from successful 2012-13 track & field seasons. Karnopp will hope to pick up where he left off in the pole vault, where he finished second in last winter's Landmark Indoor Championships. His best indoor mark is 4.30 meters (14' 1¼").
Cariello continues his quest in the multi events, a heptathlon featuring the 60-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1000-meter run. The versatile senior is the reigning Landmark titlist in the pole vault and 60-meter hurdles.
Baumann and his staff added depth in the throwing department for this season. Senior Timothy Lorah, junior Parker Munson and freshman Greg Cahill look to lead an improved throwing crew.
"I'm really intrigued as to where our throwers are going to be at the start of the season," Baumann said. "We added some really good freshman, and the throws may shape up to be our strongest events. We may not have a heavy-hitter national qualifier, but it's our deepest area."
The Greyhounds have a young core on the sprinting squad, led by sophomore Gavin Bailey and freshmen Austin Gardener and Matt Barnett. Bailey finished fourth at last year's conference indoor meet in the 400-meter dash.
The distance running group also boasts some young talent in freshman Cory Taggert, who is fresh off a successful cross country campaign this fall.
"Cory is going to be ready for a really great freshman year," Baumann said. "He came on at the end of cross country season, but his strength really lies in the middle distances."
Junior Alec Duncan also returns to the distance events and relay teams. He was a key member of the third place Moravian teams in the distance medley relay and the 4x400-meter relay at last winter's Landmark meet.
Baumann is also emphasizing recovery and stamina this season for his 46-man roster, the deepest in Baumann's three-year stint in Bethlehem. With that many student-athletes, consistency and avoiding health setbacks are key factors in a successful season.
"There are so many moving pieces in track and field, just as in football," Baumann said. "When you have this many athletes make up a team, one or two going down can snowball faster than you think to hurt a team score in the big meets. In some ways, you have more of a buffer, but in other ways there are a lot of things that can go wrong to derail you."
The Greyhounds begin the indoor season on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7 at Lehigh University at the Fast Times Before Finals meet. The ultimate goal is to send increased numbers to the ECAC Championships in Roxbury, Mass. on March 7-8, 2014 and the NCAA Division III Championships in Lincoln, Neb. on March 14-15, 2014.
