UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor men’s and women’s track and field teams will open their indoor seasons on Saturday when the Trojans travel to Fort Wayne, Indiana for the Indiana Tech Invitational.
Under the direction of interim head coach Ted Bowers, who led the TU track and field programs for 11 seasons from 2002-2013, the Trojans open the 2017-18 indoor campaign with high expectations following successful seasons last year.
The TU men’s track and field team earned a 15th place finish at the NAIA Indoor National Championships last season and spent much of the indoor season ranked inside the NAIA Top-25. The TU men’s program sent 14 individuals to the NAIA Indoor National Championships last season and claimed four NAIA All-American honors.
Sprinter Caleb Anthony returns for he sophomore season following a stellar freshman campaign in which the Centerville, Ohio native finished second in the 60-meter hurdles and earned All-American honors at the NAIA Indoor National Championships.
Senior Joe Beamish also returns for TU after earning All-American honors with an eighth place finish in the 3,000-meter run at the NAIA Indoor National Championships last season. Sophomore Jonathan DeHaan is back this year after notching a seventh place finish and earning All-American honors in the pole vault last season.
The TU women’s track and field program also has high expectations for the 2017-18 campaign after spending much of last season ranked inside the NAIA Top-25 and notching a 20th place finish at the NAIA Indoor National Championships.
The women’s track and field program sent nine individuals to the NAIA Indoor National Championships last season and claimed six NAIA All-American honors.
Junior Plenseh-Tay Sakeuh qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Championships in both the 60-meter hurdles and the long jump last season. The Lapel, Indiana native collected NAIA All-American honors with a TU record-breaking performance on her way to a third place finish in the long jump.
Taylor also returns all four members of its 4×800-meter relay team that earned NAIA All-American honors following a fifth place finish at the NAIA Indoor National Championships last season. The team of Rachel Blagg, Margie Crosby, Naomi Noyes, and Anna Souzis return in the 2017-18 season with high hopes. Crosby also earned All-American honors in the 600-meters with a fourth place finish at the Indoor National Championships.
Following Saturday’s season-opening competition at Indiana Tech the Trojans won’t be back in action again until competing at the University of Indianapolis Invitational on January 20th. Fans will have a chance to watch the Trojans compete in Upland on February 17th when TU hosts the Taylor Invitational while the first official indoor track and field Crossroads League Championships will be contested at Indiana Wesleyan on February 9-10.
The 2018 NAIA Indoor National Championships are scheduled for March 1-3 in Pittsburg, Kansas