College Track & Field News – Guilford Ranked in Preseason ODAC Indoor Track and Field Polls

FOREST, Va.—For the second straight season, Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) track and field coaches picked Guilford College’s men seventh and the Quakers’ women eighth in their annual preseason indoor track and field polls, which were released Friday.

Roanoke College earned four first-place votes and 59 points in the women’s poll, three points ahead of Washington and Lee University. Roanoke has won six of the last eight ODAC Championships. On the men’s side, Bridgewater College received five first-place votes and 61 points, two better than Lynchburg College, which earned the remaining four first-place nods.

Guilford’s women did not score in last season’s meet after a seventh-place finish in 2012. The Quakers return with a much larger squad in 2013-14. One of the key veterans is sophomore sprinter Jennifer Thomas (Randleman, N.C./Randleman), who set school standards in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes in last year’s ODAC Championship. Guilford also welcomes back sophomore distance specialist Rebecca Reyna (Liberty, N.C./Southern Alamance), who had the Quakers’ top mile times a year ago.

The Quakers’ men placed sixth among eight teams in the 2013 ODAC Championships, thanks in part to the performances of senior distance specialists David Cason (Clemmons, N.C./West Forsyth), Andris Goncarovs and Chad Norton. Goncarovs won the 5,000-meter title in a school-record time of 15 minutes, 7.49 seconds and also placed fourth in the mile. Cason was fourth in the 3,000, where Norton finished fourth. Norton, the Runner of the Meet at 2013 ODAC Outdoor Championships, is coming off an All-American cross country season and set the school-record in a 5,000 race Dec. 4 at the Liberty Kickoff.

Coach Danny Cash’s teams officially open the season Saturday (12/7) at the JDL College Kick-off Meet in Winston-Salem, N.C.

2013-14 ODAC MEN’S INDOOR TRACK COACHES POLL
(#) Denotes first place votes

   1. Bridgewater (5)         61 pts.
   2. Lynchburg (4)           59 pts.
   3. Washington and Lee      47 pts.
   4. Eastern Mennonite       43 pts.
   5. Virginia Wesleyan       36 pts.
   6. Roanoke                 28 pts.
   7. Guilford                26 pts.
   8. Shenandoah              16 pts.
   9. Randolph                 8 pts.

2013-14 ODAC WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK COACHES POLL
(#) Denotes first place votes

   1. Roanoke (4)             59 pts.
   2. Washington and Lee (4)  56 pts.
   3. Bridgewater             49 pts.
   3. Lynchburg (1)           49 pts.
   5. Eastern Mennonite       34 pts.
   6. Virginia Wesleyan       31 pts.
   7. Shenandoah              23 pts.
   8. Guilford                13 pts.
   9. Randolph                10 pts.