Record-breaking performances by Annie Beecham took place early and often during the outdoor track and field season.
She broke the previous school record that was set back in 1998 by more than six seconds at the Stanford Invitation. This record did not stand for very long, as the trend of her getting faster as the season progressed emerged.
At the Jesse Owens Classic, Beecham finished in first place in the 5,000-meter run and ran the race seven seconds faster than her previous time.
She won the race again during the Mid-American Conference Championships and was named First Team All-MAC. The team finished in ninth place for the meet.
As the season neared its end, Beecham churned out another stellar performance.
She qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 10k and her own personal record by 18 seconds, setting a new conference mark in the process.
Kari Summers also competed in the NCAA East Regional and garnered a 20th-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and she also trimmed her time by nearly nine seconds.
As the season wore on times kept decreasing, thanks in large part to distance coach Mitch Bentley
“The distance is under good leadership in coach Bentley and his training philosophy,” coach •Clay Calkins said.
Calkins said the program would miss these two athletes, but the team has younger distance runners that have shown promise.
“(Juli) Accurso, (Melissa) Thompson, (Emily) Pifer are (part of) one of the best recruiting classes in the state,” Calkins said.
The throwers have been led this season by sophomore Lauren McCullough. She frequently finished in the top-10 in javelin and hammer throw. Despite the youth of the throwers Calkins said she has shouldered the load.
“She has stepped up and is a hard worker,” Calkins said.
Calkins said a new recruiting class is coming in that could prove to be impressive.
“This class could rival this year’s distance class,” Calkins said.
During the offseason, distance runners have an intrinsic desire to improve but throwers do not have a similar way they can improve. Calkins said that a lot of the athletes’ work has to be done by them.
This season, the jumpers struggled because they were hampered by injuries. Shareyna Spears was out for the two weeks leading up to the MAC Championships, and Alexis Geiger was sidelined by a stress fracture.
“It’s a slow go, and time off is the only thing that can help,” Calkins said. “We’re going to bring her along slowly so there is no reoccurrence.”
Geiger made 19 feet in the long jump, which would have placed in the conference, Calkins said.
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