Upcoming Event: Women's XC/Track & Field versus Jimmy Carnes Invitational on January 16, 2026 at All Day
All Day
Women's XC/Track & Field
vs. Jimmy Carnes Invitational
Florida Atlantic University Athletics
2016 Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field Preview
10/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's XC/Track & Field
Oct. 16, 2015
Florida Atlantic University's Track & Field team is gearing up for the 2016 indoor and outdoor season, and the team is looking to make a big impact on Conference USA this year.
"We feel we have a competitive schedule which will allow us to progress towards the championships throughout the regular season and peak at the end of both the indoor and outdoor season." said Alex Smolka head track & field coach Alex Smolka.
The Owls open the indoor season at the Art and Linda Maillet UNC Open on Saturday, Jan. 16 in Chapel Hill, N.C. The outdoor season will begin with the University of Miami Hurricane Invitational on March 18-19 in Miami, Fla.
"We are looking at last season's scorers to lead the way again and lead our newcomers to even more success," said Smolka. "We are looking forward to continuing our progression at the indoor and outdoor C-USA Championships by scoring more points and qualifying more people to the NCAA National meets."
The returners are poised to bring even more to the table this season, especially in the realm of sprinting and distance. Despite the team's youth, don't count out the freshman and newcomers because they also are in a position to make a serious impact for the Owls. Below are a few things you should know about the FAU runners this season.
Sprint to the Finish
Junior Sitia Martinez became FAU's second-ever Conference USA Outdoor Track & Field Champion when she won the 400m hurdles (59.78). Martinez qualified for the NCAA Outdoor preliminary Championships where she finished 25th in the East region in the 400m hurdles with a career-best time of 59.21, which is the second best time in school history and first in C-USA for the season.
At last year's C-USA Championships, junior Regina Wilkerson was a member of the 4x100m relay team that broke the school record twice and placed second at the C-USA Outdoor Championships, and qualified for the NCAA prelims.
The 60m will be no match for junior Deja Jones who broke two school records at the C-USA Indoor Championships by claiming second in the 60m (7.39) and ninth in the 200m (24.38) Jones finished the outdoor season ranked 14 in the 100m in C-USA.
Florida-native Assata Trader took seventh in the outdoor 100m (12.11) in 2015 and set a personal best at the Miami Hurricane Invitational. Trader holds the ninth best time in school history in the 60m (7.79), which she set at the C-USA Indoor Championship.
Seven is a Lucky Number
Senior Ashley Stewart only looks to improve in the pentathlon and heptathlon this year with a laser focus on Conference USA Championships. Last year she had a career high 3119 points in the pentathlon at the Akron Invitational, which is fourth all-time at FAU.
Frida Thorsås looks to take her team to new levels this year after having an excellent freshman season, she's eager to reach new heights. In 2014, Frida was FAU's first Conference USA indoor and outdoor track and field champion claiming victory in the pentathlon and heptathlon and breaking the school records with event totals of 3775 and 5314. She set the school record in the javelin at the UM Invitational with a distance of 41.21m and set the record for shot put (13.08m).
Going the Distance
"Our mid-distance and distance group cross-country season will be a great way to get ready for the indoor and outdoor championships and our sprinters, hurdlers and multi-event student athletes have had a very solid conditioning block this fall. We are ready to lace up our spikes and start training for earnest."
The veteran cross country athlete Chloe Sell will turn her attention to the 3k, 5k, and 10k in her final season. In 2015, she set a career best time in the indoor 3000m (10:17.51) at the Akron Invitational, which is ninth in school history. Sell came in eighth in the 5000m (17:23.24), which is third all-time at FAU, and 14th in the 3000m (10:25.60) at the C-USA Indoor Championships. She finished the outdoor season ranked ninth in the 10000m in C-USA.
Sophomore Liz Wellman is looking forward to breaking more records this season. Wellman finished the indoor season ranked 10th in the 800 meter and fifth in the mile in C-USA. She was part of the DMR team that set a new school record at the C-USA Indoor Championships (12:04.60). To end the season, Liz finished the outdoor season ranked third in the 3000m and 12th in the 1500m in C-USA.
Players Mentioned
Sprints
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Sprints/Hurdles
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XC/Distance
/ Women's XC/Track & Field
Heptathlon
/ Women's XC/Track & Field
Heptathlon
/ Women's XC/Track & Field
Sprints
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XC/Distance
/ Women's XC/Track & Field
Sprints
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