2015 Harper Hawks Women's Track and Field Preview

Daily Herald Article

PALATINE, Ill. – After four indoor meets and a few weeks off to prepare, the Harper College women’s track and field team will finally open its outdoor season on Saturday at the Augustana Invite in Rock Island, Illinois.

Three sophomores return from last year’s team that took 10th place at nationals, including national qualifiers Lori Delfin (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling), Taylor LoCoco (/Prairie Ridge), and Stephanie Chaires (Palatine, Ill./Christian Liberty).

Delfin took ninth place in the 10k at nationals in 2014 and was also a part of the 4x800m relay team that took seventh place at the national meet. LoCoco was a part of last year’s 4x100m relay team that took seventh place at nationals. She will also look to improve her time in the 400m and may extend herself to compete in the 800m and relays.

Chaires did not compete for the Hawks in 2014 due to injury but performed very well for the cross country team in the fall. She took 16th place at the 2014 DIII Cross Country National Championships, and Harper took second place as a team, the best finish in school history.

The distance team will be strong this year with Delfin and Chaires leading the way along with their cross country teammates Silvia Catalan (Palatine, Ill./Palatine), Cynthia Siddiqui (/Palatine), and Itzel Sotelo (Palatine, Ill./Palatine).

Sprinters will include a very competitive group of freshman including Leah Kloss (/Grayslake Central), Shayan Dussard (/Hoffman Estates), Danielle Reptowski (/Schaumburg), and Samantha Soriano (/Hoffman Estates). Kloss will compete in the 100m, 200m, relays, high jump, long jump, javelin, hammer throw and maybe even the heptathlon. Dussard will compete in the 100m, 200m, relays, hammer, and shot put.

Joslyn Nicholson (/Cary-Grove) will also help out in the sprints as well as the triple jump and hammer. In high school, she took fourth in state in the triple jump in 2013. Nicholson was also a standout player for the Hawks on the basketball court this year, earning N4C Second Team All-Conference honors.

“This competitive team has the talent and depth to win this year’s National Championship,” said Harper head coach Renee Zellner.

Harper also welcomes two new members to the coaching staff, Brian Sullivan and Shannon Ennis. Sullivan is a former track and field standout at Monmouth College, where he was a multiple-time conference champion in several relay events and also a runner-up in the 400-meter hurdles. Ennis brings valuable experience to the table and will help the Hawk throwers this season.

Following the Augustana Invite, Harper competes at the Wheaton College Early Invite (April 2), the Chicagoland Outdoor Championships at College of DuPage (April 10), the Concordia University Invite (April 18), and the Illinois Benedictine Twilight (April 24).

The final tune-up before the national meet is the Carroll University Invite on May 2. The final tune-up before the national meet is the Carroll University Invite on May 2. The 2015 NJCAA DIII Women’s Outdoor T&F Championship will be hosted by Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, N.Y. May 7-9.