Track And Field Gets Its Season Underway At The Indianapolis Winter Break Meet

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University men's and women's track and field teams get its 2017-18 season underway on Friday at the Indianapolis Winter Break Meet.

"Last year we made some major steps in our program," said head coach Chris Buckler. "We finished indoor ranked in the region on the girls side for the second year in a row and had the highest finish in history at 31^st."

"Outdoor season saw strides that will pay dividends this year. We broke a total of 71 school records combined with outdoor and indoor which was five more than the previous year."

This season, the Griffins bring back the likes of Brian Nguyen, Quinn Wilson and Craig Niethe on the men's side, while Katie Gosser, Kayla Sheldon, Mackenzie Daniel and Emily Bay look to shine once again for the women.

Nguyen, an Imperial, Missouri, native, finished inside the top-10 four times last year, including setting an indoor record in the 60-meter dash (7.68). Wilson set three personal-best marks during the outdoor season in the 200-meer dash, long jump and triple jump. He was just as successful indoor, claiming six top-10 finishes.

Niethe, meanwhile, looks to build off his three personal-best marks he set during the 2016 indoor season.

Gosser had a standout indoor and outdoor campaign last year, finishing in the top-10 48 times while picking up five first place finishes. She was named to the 2017 SLIAC Track All-Sportsmanship Team and earned the 2017 Bryan Kennedy Award.

Like Gosser, Kayla Sheldon was part of the 4x400 indoor and outdoor team that set the freshman relay record. Daniel, a Dearborn, Missouri, native, turned some heads throughout the season and will look to do so again this year after finishing second all-time in the shot put (11.00 m) and the weight throw (12.07 m).

Bay joined the Griffins during the outdoor season and she was impactful throughout, finishing no worse than 14^th in her final 15 events to close out the year.

The team also welcomes a host of newcomers that look to guide the Griffins toward another successful 2018 campaign. "On the newcomer side, we have a tremendous talent that will carry us for years to come," added Buckler.

On the men's side, Trey Scott in the sprints from Gulfport, Mississippi and Greih Murray in the throws from Jefferson City, Missouri. On the women's team, transfer Sierra Moore in the throws and Amelia Tregoning, also in the throws, from Springfield, Illinois, will make an impact."

After some rigorous throughout the summer and fall, the team will finally have a chance tomorrow to display what all their hard work has done for them.

"This first meet of the year is a chance for our field event and sprint groups to see where they are after summer and fall training," Buckler stated. "Track and field is very demanding to your body if you want to be successful. Track, is very much like life, if you can handle the demands and stress of the sport, you will be successful in the sport and in life. If not, most individuals struggle with both."

"Getting a chance to see where we are before Christmas break allows our student-athletes to see the results of training."

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the track and field team.