SUMMER ISSUE August 2012

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Championship Recap Banquet Patron Letter Donors Seniors Featured Article Meet Schedule USTFCCCA NCAA DIII Top 25 Poll 2-3 4 4 5 6 7 7

Dear Wheaton Track and Field Family,

Id like to start by saying thank you to all of the alum, patrons, family, and friends that have supported the Wheaton Track and Field program this past year. Through all of the support we were able to have an amazing year. Some of the highlights include but arent limited to; Competing at Georgia Tech Invitational, Having 14 All-Americans, 2 School Records, NEWMAC Male Athlete of the Year, NEWMAC Female Field Athlete of the Year, and NEWMAC Coaching Staff of the Year. The staff also would like to mention a strong effort in the recruiting field adding 20 total incoming athletes to our respective rosters. We are looking forward to the challenges coming our way in the upcoming season and hope to have all of your continued support. We are working hard in all facets of the program and have extremely high expectations for the upcoming season. With your continued support we believe all of those goals can be achieved. Citius, Altius, Fortius Coach Cusano

WRITE OUT OF THE BLOCKS..

O U T D O O R C H A M P I O N S H I P S U M M A RY
NEWMAC Championship
Both the mens and womens teams produced outstanding perforDidi Jusme 4thPlace (1:07.82) mances and places at the NEWMAC Championships at Smith College 3,000 Meter Steeplechase: on April 28, 2012. The womens team placed second behind MIT Savannah Geasey -3rd Place (11:40.75) with 144 points and the mens team placed fourth with 82 points. At the conclusion of the meet, Coach Dave Cusano was named 4x100 Meter Relay: Miles Ketchum, Olufunsho Olagundoye , Mark Williamson, Ben Miklovich NEWMAC Women's Coach of the Year. In addition, senior Mark (42.13) Williamson earned the Men's Track Athlete of the Year title while Ashley DellAira was recognized as the Women's Female Athlete of Amber Spencer, Lauren Cardarelli, Amanda Claflin, Ashante Little- 2nd the Year. Place (47.85)
400 Meter Hurdles:

Top 8 Finishers:
100 Meter: Ben Miklovich (10.76) Olufunsho Olagundoye (11.12) Amanda Claflin 2nd Place (12.62) Amber Spencer 5thPlace (12.95) 200 Meter: Mark Williamson- 1st Place (21.89) Ben Miklovich 2nd Place (21.92) Olufunsho Olagundoye- 4th Place (22.42) Miles Ketchum- 8th Place (23.06) Ashante Little 2nd Place (25.41) Lauren Cardarelli 7th Place (26.79) 400 Meter: Mark Williamson- 1st Place (48.67) Miles Ketchum 3rd Place (50.45) Ashante Little 1st Place (56.48) 10,000 Meter Run : Shoshana Kruskal-4th Place (40:18.23) 100 Meter Hurdles: Didi Jusme 1st Place (14.16) Nichole Haar 5th Place (15.99)

4X400 Meter Relay: Miles Ketchum ,KarlMader, Mark Williamson, Ben Miklovich (3:18.82) Meredith Scannell, Lauren Cardarelli, Amanda Claflin, Ashante Little2nd Place (3:53.17) High Jump: Mollie Lane 3rd Place (1.6m) Long Jump: Ashley DellAira -1st Place (5.45m) Amanda Claflin 5th Place (5.12m) Triple Jump Ashley DellAira -1st Place (12.08m) Amber Spencer 6th Place (10.40m) Shot Put Sylvia Okoye 5th Place (10.91m) Discus: Sylvia Okoye 3rd Place (37.27m) Hammer Throw: Tope Waheed -1st Place (46.86m) Sylvia Okoye 3rd Place (43.44) Javelin: Sam Fear 3rdPlace( 52.30m Aliza Underhill 8th Place (32.82m)

O U T D O O R C H A M P I O N S H I P S U M M A RY
ECAC Championship
The womens team placed second with 60 points and the mens team placed 13 th with 21 points at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Championship. In the field events on the womens side, senior Ashley DellAirawon the triple jump (17.97m) and placed 5th in the long jump. Senior Mickey Jusme placed 11th in the triple jump. In the hammer throw, senior Tope Waheed placed 14th (45.39m) while junior Sylvia Okoye was 18th (43.81). Okoye also finished 16th in the discus (35.86m). In the high jump, sophomore Mollie Lane placed 9th with a jump of 1.59m. On the track, sophomore Ashante Little won the 400m in 55.78 while classmate Meredith Scannell finished in 5th place with a time of 57.73. Scannell and Little teamed up with Amanda Claflin and Lauren Cardarelli to win the 4x400 meter relay (3:49.40). Little also placed second in the 200m dash with a time of 24.99. Amber Spencer joined Little, Claflin, and Cardarelli in the 4x100 meter relay which placed 5th in a time of 48.49. Senior DidiJusme also added 10 points to the team score with her victory in the 100m hurdles in a time of 14.46. Senior Savannah Geasey placed 20 th in the in the 3,000 meter steeplechase (11:50) and sophomore Shoshana Kruskal finished 24th in the 10,000 meter run with a personal best of (40.09.83). On the mens side, Junior Ben Miklovich placed 2nd in the 100m (10.94) and fifth in the 200m dash(21.93). Miklovich joined teammates Mark Williamson, Olufunsho Olagundove, and Miles Ketchum in the 4x100 meter relay, which placed 6 th in a time of (42.40). Karl Mader joined Miklovich, Williamson, and Ketchum in the 4x400 meter relay which placed 3rd in a time of 3:15.06).

NCAA Championship
Ten student athletes qualified for the 2012 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championship in Claremont, California. All ten student athletes advanced to the finals after the first day of competition and all 10 student athletes earned All American honors on the final day of competition. On the mens side, senior Mark Williamson earned his first individual All American title in the 400 meter. Williamson placed 4th with a time of 47.60 in the 400 meter. Williamson was also a member of the mens 4x400 meter relay team, which also included junior Ben Miklovich and seniors Miles Ketchum and Karl Mader. The relay team earned All American honors with their 8th place finish in a time of 3:15.31. On the womens side, Senior Ashley DellAira earned her All American honors with a 3 rd place finish in the triple jump with a personal best of 40' 6 3/4". Senior teammate, Didi Jusme placed 7th in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 14.33. Sophomore Ashante Little placed 4th in the 400 meter with a personal best time of 54. 82. Little joined senior Lauren Cardarelli, junior Amanda Claflin, and sophomore Meredith Scannell in the 4x400m relay. The relay team placed 7 th in a time of 3:48.62.

1 S T A N N UA L T R A C K
On Sunday, April 29, 2012, Wheaton Track and Field celebrated the inaugural end of the year banquet at Trinity Bar and Grill in Norton, MA. We were very pleased to have filled the room to the maximum capacity with parents, administrators and the team. Below are the awards that will be given annually and the names of the athletes who received the awards: Coaches Award: Work Ethic, Overall Improvement, Enthusiasm, Hard Working This award is for an individual that embodies these qualities on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. These traits have also carried over into other avenues of their lives. The Coaches Award can be viewed as the Most Improved Individual Award. Indoor [Shante Little 14 & Karl Mader 12] Outdoor [Nichole Haar 15 & Nathan Sheridan 15] Lyons Award: Act of Valor- Valor being defined as Strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness: personal bravery! The absence of indecision even in the face of death is the true mark of VALOR! This award is for the individual who exemplifies this definition in the highest regard. This award will become an annual award for the individual who represents how a Lyon Acts of Valor! Shoshana Kruskal 14 & Miles Ketchum 12 99 Relay Award: Overcoming Hardship!! Determination In honor of the 1999 4x400m National Champion Relay Team. The team members were Deshanda Williams, Tenille Johnson, Amy Swanson, and Colleen Myrie. This relay team displayed the degree of character that you only hope to every see or experience. Its magical! Courage followed by will is what allowed for their performance to be legendary.

AND

FIELD BANQUET

99 Relay Award (Contd): This award will be given annually to the individual that has shown the qualities that the 1999 Relay team displayed on their path to becoming National Champions. Along the path to becoming champions they also set Wheaton Track and Field into the history books. These actions and qualities that were shown allowed Wheaton and legendary Head Coach Paul Souza to their first of 8 NCAA National Championships. Karl Mader 12 & Lauren Cardarelli 12 Amber James Award: Competitive Greatness-Being at your best when your best is needed. Enjoyment of a difficult challenge Recognized by the NCAA as the greatest athlete in 25-year history of the Division III indoor track and field championship 2006- James was selected to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Associations Division III Silver Anniversary Team. 17x National Champion 24x All American
Indoors: 7 National Crowns, 10 All America Awards Outdoor: 10 National Crowns, 14 All America Awards

Team Awards Included 3 National Crowns and one third place finish 53.58 is the second fastest 400m at the NCAA Championships in history James remains Wheatons School Record Holder in: Indoor: 400m, 200m, 4x400m, 4x200m Outdoor: 400m, 200m, 4x400m, 4x100m Ben Miklovich 13 & Ashley Dell Aira 12

T H A N K YO U TO O U R P ATRO N D O N O R S !
Deb Albin Alvin Alson Russell Briggs Sasha & Lauren Cutler Paul and Jacqueline Delaney Paul Deysenroth Bill Drew Richard Drew Brian and Bernadette Eaton Patricia Gallagher Sharon Gallagher Charles Gargas P.E. Graff Mary Harris Jocelyn Hinz Todd Hinz Herbert Hudson Mr. and Mrs. A. Ilgunas Ifeoma Iwelumo Dr. James ad Elizabeth Judge Chris and Christina Kearns Jamie Knauss Richard and Catherine Lane Peter and Vicky Lane Barry and Judy Lutsky Elaine Spencer Marr Gillian Miller Ruta and Victor Monoenko Melinda Nupioli Mark Rudin Dave and Lucy St. James Sarah Schall Jeffrey Saletin Dennis and Betty Scannell Lawrence and Lisa Schall Rob Sheridan Allen Sheridan Robert Stevens Robert Stevens Laura Walton Karen Weinberger Hollis Weishar Michelle B. White 4

Where are they now?

Lindsay Whalen 05 Lindsay has been accepted into Nursing School. Congratulations Lindsay! On Saturday, September 8th, Memas 5K Road Race proceeds will be donated to Beth Israel Hospital in Milton, MA support of high quality patient care, new technology, and the future of health care services, in the memory of Mary Gardiner. For more information- http://www.memasrun.org/ We would love to hear where our Wheaton Track Alums are, what you are up to, and celebrate your milestones with you. Send an email with your announcement or possible feature story to bright_kathrine@wheatoncollege.edu

Wishing our Seniors the best of luck in their future endeavors!

Lauren Cardarelli:
Major Psychology Plans for the future: I plan on continuing my major in psychology and minor in economics to pursue a career in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Accolades: 2004, 2012All American in 4x400, 2011 ECAC All Region 4x400, 2010 ECAC All Region 4x200, 2009-2012 NCAA All New England 4x400

Aliza Underhill:
Major American Studies Plans for the future: With any luck, in August Ill be entering a year of service in Americorps or the Foodcorps, working to educate youth about agriculture, sustainability, and nutrition.

Tope Waheed:
Major Psychology Plans for the future: I plan on being a relationship counselor and coaching track. I also plan to attend graduate school to study sports psychology, family

Ashley DellAira:
Plans for the future: I plan to attend graduate school to earn my Pharm-D Degree

Accolades: 2011 & 2012 All American in Triple Jump, 2012 ECAC Indoor counseling or coaching principles. Triple Jump Champion, 2011 & 2012 NEWMAC Triple Jump Champion, 2011 Accolades: 2009, 2011, & 2012 NEWMAC All Conference Hammer NEWMAC Long Jump runner-up, 2012 NEWMAC Long Jump Champion

Savannah Geasy:
Major Anthropology Plans for the future: Work in international journalism or non-profit development work. Accolades: Cross Country Academic All Conference (3x), Member of the School Record 4x800m Relay Team

Miles Ketchum:
Major Sociology Plans for the future: Coaching track and possibly graduate school Accolades: 2012 All America in the 4x400m

Karl Mader:
Major Economics & International Relations Plans for the future: Ill be working in Newton, MA for a couple years at an alternative energy company called BigBelly Solar. A few years down the road, I hope to join Marines Force Recon and go get a masters in Economics or an MBA. Accolades: 2012 All America in the 4x400m

Shauntay Hallett:
Major Socioloy & African, African American Diaspora Plans for the future: I plan on teaching and coaching. I plan on going to graduate school in the future for Social Work. Accolades: Deans List, Gilman Scholar, SGA Scholar

Didi Jusme:
Major- African, African American Diaspora Plans for the future: I plan to obtain a degree in either Urban Education or Educational Psychology to help immigrant (African or Haitian) parents & children properly go through the American School System. After Im old and accomplished, I want three kids and a house in Haiti or Florida. Accolades: 2009, 2010, 2012 All American 4x100m, 55mH, 100m H, 2009, 2010, 2011 NEWMAC All Conference 100m, 200m, 100mH, 4x100m

Mark Williamson:
Major Economics Plans for the future: I am going to continue training for a year or so after school. I also plan on working with my dad in buying storage units at auctions. Accolades: All American (2010 indoor/outdoor 4x400, 2010 National Champion in 4x400, 3x NEWMAC Champion in 400m and record holder

Mickey Jusme:
Major- African, African American Diaspora Plans for the future: With my Wheaton degree I plan on going to graduate school for sports dietetics and working in an urban area with high obesity rates. I also plan to open my own gym and b y happy in everything I do.

Featured Story: My Marathon Experience: Megan (Flaherty) Hall 02

Growing up as a track and cross country runner in Massachusetts, and competing as a multi-event athlete at Wheaton (02), I had always planned on running the Boston Marathon someday, I just did not know when I would do it. After my father passed away from bladder cancer in 2003, I knew that I wanted to compete to raise money for the DanaFarber Cancer Institute, but I was not ready to talk about my dad or the effect his death had on my entire family. After almost nine years, I was ready to talk about it, and I applied to run for Dana-Farber. I had no idea the impact that this entire experience was about to have on my life. To train for the marathon, I thought that I would need to focus on two areas: physical training, and fundraising. I was not completely wrong in my thinking, but my training and fundraising were unlike anything I could have anticipated. Before I really began my fundraising, I attended my first group run in Lexington. This run was an eight to ten miler, which seemed pretty long at that point in time. Run by run, my teammates and I worked together and really became a tight group of people linked together by our love of running and the devastating effects of cancer. Hillary was a cancer survivor herself, overcoming leukemia at the age of twelve, Jennie has lost three of her four siblings to cancer, all within the last three years, and Giles had lost his mother just last year. They shared their stories so freely on our runs, that I ran out of excuses to keep my story bottled up. I began to tell my story. at Dana-Farber. It was a learning experience for both parties. My teammate Patrick told me all about his experience one day between intervals, an experience that he shared on his blog http:// dfmc2012.wordpress.com/ - Two People Teaching Each Other About Living Life. Patrick used the blog as a way to exchange letters with his patient partner, Brendan. You could follow their progress, and see the way that they really inspired each other when Patricks training or Brendans treatment got tough. They both approached life with such optimism, and I began to follow his blog regularly. It was Patrick that inspired me to really work on my own blog, http:// meganrunsboston.blogspot.com/. I had started it as a way to track my training, but I realized that my marathon experience had become so much more. I began to write about my teammates who inspired me, and suddenly my blog turned into a weekly journal. Friends and family followed my every step and watched me learn my own life lessons as the season progressed.

During the marathon, I hit mile 20 (heartbreak hill,) and eight of the students I teach sprinted onto the course to run the hill with me, cheering me on and claiming that they too hoped to someday run the marathon for Dana-Farber. It was only then that I fully realized that the reason I was running had expanded. My marathon experience was so much more than running a race, or even honoring my father. In the end, we (and I say we because I could not have done it alone) raised over $9000 for cancer care and research. That is $9000 that will go It was around January or February that we to ensuring that our childrens generation will not started adding track workouts on Tuesday nights to suffer the devastating effects of cancer like we have. our schedules, and it was during these months that my I feel as though this entire experience changed my teammate Gregs daughter, Charlotte lost her battle perspective about how I approached life, and what I with neuroblastoma. He needed the team and his considered important. As Patrick would say, my marmarathon goal more than ever. She was only five. athon experience was no longer about running a race, Through Greg, I learned about Dana-Farbers patient it was about living life. partner program. Many of the local runners on our team had been paired up with children being treated
6

Wheaton College 26 East Main Street Norton, MA 02766 Phone: 508-286-3998 Fax: 508-286-8249 cusano_david@wheatoncollege.edu bright_kathrine@wheatoncollege.edu spence_kim@wheatoncollege.edu

Follow all the action this spring on our Wheaton (MA) Track and Field Facebook page

USTFCCCA NCAA DIVISION III Final Team Rankings Womens

1. Wartburg 2. UW-Oshkosh 3. Mount Union 4. Methodist 5. Williams

T E N TAT I V E : 2 0 1 3 M E N S A N D W O M E N S I NDOOR S CHEDULE

University of Southern Maine Yale Invitational WHEATON INVITATIONAL Terrier Classic New Balance Collegiate Games Valentine Invitational All NE Championship ECAC Gorham, ME New Haven, CT Norton, MA Boston , MA New York, New York Boston, MA Boston, MA TBD Saturday, January 5th Saturday, January 12th Saturday, January 19th Friday, January 25tn Saturday, January 26th Friday , February 1st Saturday, February 2nd Friday, February 8th Saturday, February 9th Friday, February 22nd Saturday, February 23rd Friday, March 1st Saturday, March 2nd Friday, March 8th Saturday, March 9tj

6. Birmingham-Southern 7. Washington (Mo.) 8. Illinois College

9. Illinois Wesleyan 10. Tufts 10. UW-Eau Claire 12. Ramapo 12. UW Stevens Point 12. Wheaton (MA) 15. George Fox 15. Williams 15. Middlebury 17. Amherst

NCAA Championships Naperville, IL

I M P O RTA N T D AT E S Alumni BBQ Saturday, October 13, 2012

18. Emory 18. Linfield 20. Cal Lutheran 20. Central (Iowa) 20. Montclair Sate 20. Moravian 20. Rose-Hulman 20. St. Norbert 7

Wheaton Invitational Saturday, January 19, 2013