Jan. 28, 1998
1998 Arizona State Track & Field Outlook
Head coach Greg Kraft and his excellent coaching staff continue to rebuild the strength and depth Arizona State is used to in its track and field program. Entering their second season, Kraft and company have a game plan in place for the program that was depleted upon their arrival in 1996.
"When you put together a program, you need to build it one step at a time," Kraft said prior to the 1998 season. "When I look at our team, obviously depth is not going to be one our strengths. What we've tried to do is develop pockets of excellence in one particular area and move on from there."
The focus of Kraft's first recruiting class was the sprints. Brian Raspberry (Jr., Louisville, Ky.) redshirted last season after transferring from Tennessee. As a Volunteer, he was an SEC finalist and NCAA qualifier in the 100 and 200 meters, having run a 10.28 and 20.74, respectively. Eniak Mpwo (Fr., Olathe, Kan.) is the two-time Kansas state champion with marks of 10.63 in the 100 meters and 21.1 in the 200. Tony Berrian (Fr., Atwater, Calif.) recorded the fifth-fastest high-school mark in the nation last year with a 46.49 in the 400.
The women have a similar formula combining experience with youth. Two talented freshmen in Christie Winkle and Arlaina Davis join juniors Dawnyell Linder and Joronda White. Winkle (Fr., Phoenix), the fastest high school female athlete in Arizona state history, becomes a Sun Devil after running the seventh fastest 100-meter time in the nation last year (11.66). Davis (Fr., Indianapolis, Ind.) became just the second female in Indiana history to ever win the 100, 200 and 400 state titles in the same meet. She followed her Hoosier predecessor, Maicel Malone, to Arizona State. Kraft expects White (Jr., Los Angeles) to "blossom" this season. White posted a team-best 54.78 in the 400 last season. Linder (Jr., Jonesboro, Ga.) is ASU's top returning sprinter after posting ASU's best marks in the 100 (11.69) and 200 (24.40) last year while trailing only White in the 400 (54.78).
In the middle distance area, Vondre Armour (Jr., Bakersfield, Calif.) returns from a redshirt season last year to be a serious threat in the 800 meters while also running a strong leg in ASU's 4x400 effort. Armour was an All-American in 1995 when he placed second at the Pac-10 meet with a 1:48.08 in the 800, the third-fastest time in ASU history. Ari Rodriguez (Sr., Tempe) is a national qualifier contender in the 1500. Rodriguez improved his time in the 1500 by over four seconds last year by running a 3:44.10, the seventh-best time in ASU history, and could challenge Chuck LaBenz's 28-year old school record of 3:40.7. Matt Repak (Sr., Glendale, Ariz.) and Andy Carusetta (Sr., Scottsdale, Ariz.) are each own top five marks in ASU history in the 10,000 and the steeplechase, respectively.
On the women's side, Kraft considers the Sun Devils to be "greatly improved." Priscilla Hein (Jr., Prescott, Ariz.) has NCAA qualifying potential in the 1500 meters and registered team-leading marks in both the 800 (2:10.66) and 1500 (4:35.08) last year. Mary Duerbeck (So., Chamois, Mo.) had a tremendous cross country season in 1997 while newcomers Jennifer Bridgeman (Fr., Union City, Calif.), Shannon Houseman (Fr., Alto, Mich.) and Kelly MacDonald (Fr., Tualatin, Ore.) give the Sun Devils depth.
The effects of Pac-10 and NCAA sanctions are the most apparent in the field events. However, while ASU might be thin, there is some outstanding individual talent that includes a national title contender in Mika Laiho. Laiho (Sr., Parkano, Finland) set a school record with a 69.84 (229-2) throw in the hammer, bettering the old school mark by over 20 feet. A 1996 Indoor All-American in the weight throw, Laiho finished fifth in the 1996 NCAA meet in that event. Jeremy Staat (Jr., Bakersfield, Calif.), a projected top-round pick in this year's NFL Draft, could also have an impact in the shot put and discus. Anthony Hazard (Sr., Baltimore, Md.) could stand out in the long jump while decathlete Josh Pearson (Fr., Phoenix) will redshirt this year.
All-American Fiona Daly headlines ASU's female field athletes. Daly (Jr., Roodepoort, South Africa) leaped a team-best 1.78 (5-10) in the high jump last season while also long-jumping 5.02 (16-5.5) and triple-jumping 10.96 (35-11.5). Daly finished sixth at the 1996 NCAA Indoor meet in the high jump with a personal-best 6-0.5 effort, matching ASU's second-highest jump in history, and finished fourth at the Pac-10 meet. Kraft is also looking for contributions from JC transfer Maris Doty (Sr., Tucson, Ariz.) in the high jump and triple jump and multi-time state champion Adrienne Judie (Fr., Mesa, Ariz.) in the shot put and discus.
"When I look at the big picture," Kraft said, "I feel very comfortable with where we're going, but you don't want to be comfortable with where you're at, either. Just like our hurdlers, you always have to keep focused on the finish line while attacking each hurdle. You're not going to go around it, you're not going to go through it, you're going to attack it, but you're always going to keep your focus on the finish line. I feel very confident that is where we're going."