Mavericks Open Season at Kansas State
Dec 10, 2014 | Track & Field
This Week
The Omaha track & field team begins its indoor season at the K-State Winter Invitational hosted by Kansas State on Saturday, Dec. 13. The meet begins at 11 a.m. at the Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kan.
The Coaches
Chris Richardson is in his ninth season with the Omaha track & field program, his second as its head coach after seven seasons as an assistant. Richardson helped guide the Mavericks through some of their most successful years including three conference championships and three top-five NCAA finishes. The highlight of that stretch included a fourth-place finish at the 2010 indoor championship prior to the Mavericks' reclassification to Division I. In 2011, he was named the USTFCCCA South Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.
Richardson is assisted by Marc Bierbaum and Ryan Finley. Bierbaum is in his fifth season coaching the distance events in addition to coaching the cross country team. Finley is in his second season, coaching both sprints and jumps. Cliff Cisar and former UNO standout and multiple record holder Sami Spenner are volunteer assistant coaches.
Pre-Season Poll
The Mavericks were picked to finish fourth in the Summit League Indoor Championship in a preseason poll of the league's coaches. The meet will be held on Feb. 27-28 in Fargo, N.D. Last season, the Mavericks were third in the indoor championship with graduated senior Sami Spenner accounting for 50 of UNO's 109 points. She was the individual champion in the 60 meter hurdles, long jump, triple jump and pentathlon and was named the Field Championship MVP and the indoor Field Athlete of the Year.
Two returning Mavericks ranked in the top eight at the 2014 indoor championship. Payton Horacek was seventh in the 60 meter dash while Terri Armstrong finished fifth in the 400 meters.
A Look at The Mavericks
The Mavericks will be long on youth as they embark on the 2014-15 season. Twenty-three of their 36 athletes are either freshmen (11) or sophomores (12).
The Mavericks' roster is dominated by distance runners (16) and, in those events, will be led by seniors Ashley Kildow, Kristin Rogers and MiKayla Peck. All three scored for the Mavericks at the Summit League Cross Country Championship with Kildow finishing eighth overall. The Mavericks will look to underclassmen like Kristen Carmichael, Catherine Davison and Perla Gutierrez to provide depth.
Senior Amanda Alexander and sophomore Macy Woitzel will be the Mavericks' multi-eventers, following in the footsteps of Spenner. Alexander is coming off a personal best score of 4,077 in the heptathlon during last year's Summit League Outdoor Championship while Woitzel competed just once in the heptathlon last year.
Seniors Terri Armstrong and Celeste Robinson are the veterans of UNO's sprinting corps while sophomores Payton Horacek and Nicole Liske will endeavor to increase their contributions in that department.
In the jumps, Horacek and Liske will join Alexander in earning points for the Mavericks while promising freshman Stephanie Ahrens is expected to contribute.
In the throwing events, the Mavericks are particularly young with sophomores Megan Adams and Amanda Conlin joined by freshman Lauren Doeschot.
Senior short distance specialist Katarina Zarudnaya and her fellow senior jumper Denneil Shaw will compete outdoors only.
The “Last” Season
This is the final season for Omaha track & field in its four-year reclassification from Division II to Division I. The Mavericks, who have never finished lower than fourth in the Summit League indoor or outdoor championships, are eligible for NCAA competition beginning with the 2015-16 season.
Up Next For The Mavericks
The Mavericks will be off until after their holidays. They return to competition on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 16-17 at the Holiday Inn Invitational hosted by Nebraska.
The Omaha track & field team begins its indoor season at the K-State Winter Invitational hosted by Kansas State on Saturday, Dec. 13. The meet begins at 11 a.m. at the Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kan.
The Coaches
Chris Richardson is in his ninth season with the Omaha track & field program, his second as its head coach after seven seasons as an assistant. Richardson helped guide the Mavericks through some of their most successful years including three conference championships and three top-five NCAA finishes. The highlight of that stretch included a fourth-place finish at the 2010 indoor championship prior to the Mavericks' reclassification to Division I. In 2011, he was named the USTFCCCA South Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.
Richardson is assisted by Marc Bierbaum and Ryan Finley. Bierbaum is in his fifth season coaching the distance events in addition to coaching the cross country team. Finley is in his second season, coaching both sprints and jumps. Cliff Cisar and former UNO standout and multiple record holder Sami Spenner are volunteer assistant coaches.
Pre-Season Poll
The Mavericks were picked to finish fourth in the Summit League Indoor Championship in a preseason poll of the league's coaches. The meet will be held on Feb. 27-28 in Fargo, N.D. Last season, the Mavericks were third in the indoor championship with graduated senior Sami Spenner accounting for 50 of UNO's 109 points. She was the individual champion in the 60 meter hurdles, long jump, triple jump and pentathlon and was named the Field Championship MVP and the indoor Field Athlete of the Year.
Two returning Mavericks ranked in the top eight at the 2014 indoor championship. Payton Horacek was seventh in the 60 meter dash while Terri Armstrong finished fifth in the 400 meters.
A Look at The Mavericks
The Mavericks will be long on youth as they embark on the 2014-15 season. Twenty-three of their 36 athletes are either freshmen (11) or sophomores (12).
The Mavericks' roster is dominated by distance runners (16) and, in those events, will be led by seniors Ashley Kildow, Kristin Rogers and MiKayla Peck. All three scored for the Mavericks at the Summit League Cross Country Championship with Kildow finishing eighth overall. The Mavericks will look to underclassmen like Kristen Carmichael, Catherine Davison and Perla Gutierrez to provide depth.
Senior Amanda Alexander and sophomore Macy Woitzel will be the Mavericks' multi-eventers, following in the footsteps of Spenner. Alexander is coming off a personal best score of 4,077 in the heptathlon during last year's Summit League Outdoor Championship while Woitzel competed just once in the heptathlon last year.
Seniors Terri Armstrong and Celeste Robinson are the veterans of UNO's sprinting corps while sophomores Payton Horacek and Nicole Liske will endeavor to increase their contributions in that department.
In the jumps, Horacek and Liske will join Alexander in earning points for the Mavericks while promising freshman Stephanie Ahrens is expected to contribute.
In the throwing events, the Mavericks are particularly young with sophomores Megan Adams and Amanda Conlin joined by freshman Lauren Doeschot.
Senior short distance specialist Katarina Zarudnaya and her fellow senior jumper Denneil Shaw will compete outdoors only.
The “Last” Season
This is the final season for Omaha track & field in its four-year reclassification from Division II to Division I. The Mavericks, who have never finished lower than fourth in the Summit League indoor or outdoor championships, are eligible for NCAA competition beginning with the 2015-16 season.
Up Next For The Mavericks
The Mavericks will be off until after their holidays. They return to competition on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 16-17 at the Holiday Inn Invitational hosted by Nebraska.
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Multi-Even
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
ATH
/ Cross CountryDistance
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
ATH
/ Cross Country
Sprints/Jumps
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & FieldATH
/ Cross Country
Sprints/Jumps
/ Track & Field
ATH
/ Cross CountryDistance
/ Track & Field
Multi-Events
/ Track & Field
ATH
/ Cross CountryDistance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Multi-Even
/ Track & Field
Multi-Events
/ Track & Field
ATH
/ Cross CountryDistance
/ Track & FieldTuesday, September 01
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 21
Tuesday, April 21
