With this being the first post on the new site, I’d like to say welcome! The rest of the ITC Web Development team and I have worked very hard making this new site what it is. That being said, it is still a work in progress. If anything seems wrong or you want to suggest an improvement, please don’t hesitate to contact me at illinoistfclub+webmaster@gmail.com! That goes for anything related to your results on the site, as well as any other pages or features. As the webmaster, I can be your contact for that kind of stuff throughout the year. Along with the slick new site, we have a lot to be excited about this year! A couple of the coaches had some words to say about this upcoming 2017 season.
On the distance side, Coach Ryan Somerfield is very excited to see his runners perform this year, specifically seniors Sean Bruyere, Emma Burkhart, and Jared Ripoli who he hopes overcome their injuries and cap off their club racing careers with a solid last season. He’s looking for all of the freshmen to come into their own on the club and he’s hoping runners Muneeb Ansari, Noel Brindise, and Megan Frintner can break their respective barriers in the mile (Muneeb – 5:00, Noel and Megan – 6:00).
Sprints coach Mike Kreiser had the following to say about his crew: “On the women’s side, Becky Haight looks to break every single record in the history of ITC. Already knocked down the 60m record at the early bird meet and is on the heels of the 200m record. Lone senior Abby Ralph looks to continue her dynamic athletic ability, taking on a workload of sprints, jumps, and hurdles. Along with those girls, a class of newcomers looks to show us what they got this season. A deep field of newcomers looks to revitalize the men’s program. Veteran Mateusz Lopez leads in jumps while continuing to impress in the 200m and 400m. Newcomers Kevin Sager and Mason Rosenberg look to make their mark across the sprints program as well. Veteran Michael Jang continues to move toward the 60m HH record. Our deep roster should be very nice to have during the 2017 season”.
In the pits, Coach Mateusz Lopez is looking to have all of his jumpers improve in every meet through hard work and proper practice. He has high expectations but knows that his athletes can live up to them and more.
Throws coach Ali Djokic chimed in as well with the following: “In the realm of throws, I’m very excited to see what our new team can accomplish this season. Our crew has over doubled since last year and that has come from a talented new freshman class. On the women’s side, Carah Cole came out to her first collegiate meet in December and shattered our previous indoor shot put record. Inga Augustaitis premiered this past weekend and follows close in Carah’s footsteps so I hope to see those two progress together. For the men, a new trio to look out for this season consists of Sal Ruiz, Liam Nassib, and Thomas Nute. It’s great to see them push one another to get better at both practice and meets. We have a new junior member, Paul Fina, who will be throwing javelin this year. Be sure to watch for him through our outdoor season! We are a very young team but have senior Tare Emuze finishing her senior year and I feel she is going to leave an already larger impact on the club than years before and will be a legacy to follow. I am excited to see this passionate group kill it this season. “
I’ll end with my group as the mid-distance coach. I’m really happy with my crew this year and I think they will all have awesome seasons. We have a lot of veterans, which means we have a good group of solid leaders. I look forward to seeing them all achieve their goals and avoid the injuries that have plagued some of them in the past. I hope my girls continue to stick together and improve as they do so and I anticipate a lot of success from my newcomers as well. I’m excited to see all of the work that the whole team has put in to come to fruition in the form a really great season for everyone.
Stay tuned for more coverage of ITC”s season, and more website improvements as well! We should all look forward to this fun and successful season!