By Donnie Niehaus

The University of Louisville’s track and field teams have one year left to make their mark in Conference USA competition, since the Cards will be moving to the Big East next season.

After a successful first cross country season with coach Ron Mann, the Cards were proud to have Mann join them for his first track and field stint with the 2005 team. Hailing from Northern Arizona, Mann has a reputation for greatness and for getting the most out of available talent. In his 25 seasons coaching track and field, he has produced four individual national champions, 107 All-Americans and 57 league Coach of the Year awards. Mann has a wealth of coaching experience at the big events, as evidenced by his head coaching presence at the 1993 PanAm Games and 1991 Olympic Festival.

Eighteen freshmen line the 29-deep men’s roster for Louisville. John Blackwell is the only senior on the team.

Though young, this year’s squad will leave a dent in C-USA competition, especially in the sprinting and middle-distance events.

Coming off an excellent cross country season, the Cards’ distance team appears to be ready for the grueling track season. Anchoring most of the distance races will be transfer Wesley Korir and junior Tim Kaiser. Korir was named C-USA’s Freshman Runner of the Year in 2004 after winning four individual titles. Kaiser comes into his third year with All-Conference honors in cross country.

Another addition to the team is Northern Arizona transfer Nurani Sheikh. Prior to running at U of L, Sheikh placed an impressive 11th place in the 5,000-meter run at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Other distance runners include Chris Danks, Matt VanDerMeer, Thad Schroeder, Kyle Bowling, P.J. Fox, Wes Seacat, Brian Hurst and Vernon Stephen.

Although the distance team will be huge this year, sprinting is how the team will win their meets. The sprint team is well-balanced and includes a handful of transfers. Aaron McAndrew is a sophomore sprinter who hails from Indiana State and competes in the 100- and 200-meter dash. The Cards welcome junior Marcus Barnes from East Tennessee State.

Aside from the transfers, Ronnie Stringer is an impressive sophomore who competes in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. The sprint team also welcomes many new faces, including Christopher Seals and Andre Foster. Although the sprint team is very new and inexperienced, the talent is deep and could win many meets for the Cards.

While the men’s team is top-heavy with underclassmen, the women’s team has a well-balanced roster consisting of six seniors, seven juniors, eight sophomores and five freshmen, which appears to be the right combination for a smooth transition into the Big East.

Leading the way for the Cards is a trio of senior record-holders. At 5’9”, Ify Akubeze is an impressive competitor who has used her jumping ability to hold the school record for the indoor triple jump at 12.05m/39-6.50. Senior Kelley Bowman is another excellent jumper and the record-holder for the indoor high jump at 1.78m/5-10 and the outdoor high jump at 1.75m/5-8.75. The third record-holder is pole-vaulter Jacey Jo Hughes. Hughes has broken her previous record and now boasts a 12-1.50 record in the indoor pole vault.

Anchoring the distance events is Corryn McCrae. A junior, McCrae earned a pair of top-five finishes in the mile runs, as well as a top-five finish in the 800-meter event at the Indy Relays. Other distance runners include juniors Lauren Baldwin, Allissa Moore and Ashley Ruberg.

While the team has great experience buoying them up, the Cards are also expecting big things out of several freshmen. Kim Allen is an excellent hurdler and excels in the jumping events. Jessie Faulkenberg and Paula Ferry are two new faces who will both compete for spots on the team.

The Cards face a very grueling schedule that includes meets hosted by Arizona State and regional meets in Indianapolis (home of track legend Jerry Jacobs) and Nashville. The highlight of the season comes when the Cards host two home meets at the beautiful Cardinal Park Track Stadium, one on April 2 and the other for the annual Cardinal Invitational on April 23.

The women’s team will compete in the Ohio State Invitational on Saturday. The men’s season opens in March.