Black Bears hoping to continue success Cross country titles boost indoor teams

Hot on the heels of their first America East conference cross-country championship, the University of Maine indoor track and field teams are hoping to continue that momentum and run off another title this winter.

With the vast majority of UMaine’s point producers in last season’s AE conference title meets back, both the men’s and women’s teams are poised to make runs that could give the Black Bear track program that “bookend” conference championship trophy.

After the men’s cross-country team won the program’s first America East title last fall, coaches and athletes alike are anxious to add another.

Both the Black Bears men’s and women’s teams appear to be blessed with depth all over the roster and a good mix of veteran and young talent.

Two meets into the 2004-05 season, neither team has done anything to alter the notion they can both be title contenders as they head into a two-week Christmas break.

“The men finished seventh in the America East Conference spring track championship meet and the women were fourth, and both should be improved this indoor season,” said head coach Jim Ballinger. “At this point, I’d say no on injury concerns, very optimistic and eager to pick up where we left off last year.”

Both teams’ greatest strengths could be their distance runners, who are all coming off successful cross country campaigns.

Although senior Edward (Andy) Caron – a fifth-place finisher at the AE championship cross country meet – used up his eligibility to run this indoor season, the men are still deep and talented in the distance and middle distance ranks with guys like graduate student Mike Lansing of Lovell, sophomores Donnie Drake of Portland and Kirby Davis of Falmouth, senior Jeff Caron of Auburn, and freshman Eric Libby of Hampden.

“Even though our big unknown is middle distance, I think we do have potentially more depth there,” Ballinger said.

That depth was supplemented by the addition of Scott O’Connor, a junior who came over from the varsity swim team and will be put into middle distance events.

The women’s distance team looks even stronger with the return of senior co-captain Heather Jovanelli after a semester spent studying abroad in England and the transfer of fellow Brewer native Heather Clark from Florida State University back home to Maine. They join standouts such as Hana Pelletier of Belgrade and Kristen Vidlak. The ranks have been further reinforced by the return of senior Janeen Shepard, who took last fall’s cross country season off.

The Maine women are deep in almost every area, so much so that even the heptathlon, an event many teams find difficult to produce points in on a regular basis, looms as a strength area with juniors Kate Souviney of Winslow and Amanda Virgets.

Junior Shira Panelli fills another tough area as a top-notch pole vaulter.

Sprinting and jumping events should also be a specialty for the Bears with senior co-captain Silvia Scaldaferri, junior Stephanie McCusker of Lisbon, sophomore Erin Hatch of Saco, and freshman Lindsay Burlock of Caribou, who ran cross country, even though she was never a distance runner in high school, because she wanted to be in better shape for the indoor and spring seasons.

“I think Lindsay Burlock could be an immediate producer,” Ballinger said. “If the freshman like her develop quickly – and we have a lot of young throwers because it’s untested – I think we pretty much have the events covered.”

About the only area the Maine women are weaker in is the weight/throwing events, where graduated standout Katie Page of Palmyra will be greatly missed.

“We don’t necessarily have one person who can replace here, so we’ll have to hope we can fill in some of her production with a few people,” Ballinger explained.

The men appear loaded in a lot of areas and have several reliable point producers returning with guys like senior sprinter Nate Holmes of Westbrook; sophomore thrower Anthony Morgan of Old Town; and brothers Kyle Irvine and Troy Irvine of Waterville, juniors who specialize in the pole vault. Troy also hurdles and will try either the heptathlon and/or decathlon.

The jumping events could be a bit thin, but junior Jesse Ludwig of South Portland, who had injury troubles last year, is a former long jump title winner who should help Maine hold its own.

Maine’s main competition will come from the Northeastern women and Albany men, both favorites and perennial conference powers.