November 30, 3006
Mercy Track and Field Ready to Run for 2006-07
Indoor Season 
DOBBS FERRY, NY- Born from the cross country teams, the Mercy College indoor track and field squads have traditionally been strong in middle distance, long distance, and jumps. Now entering the fifth year in the brief history of the program, head coach Darryl Bullock has focused on strengthening another aspect, which has him excited about the possibilities that could lie ahead.
"Oddly enough we may be a stronger sprint and field-oriented team than we've historically been," said Bullock. "We are going to compete in new events and be stronger in the events that we have competed in the previous five years," said Bullock.
With 10 returning members for the 2006-07 season and several talented newcomers joining the team, Bullock expects to have success up and down the lineups.
On the men's team, Bullock is looking for senior captain Edward Murray (W. Islip, NY), along with juniors Peter Yarema (Northport, NY), Daniel Reeves (Babylon, NY) and Thomas Cannariato (Goshen, NY) to carry the load in distance events, coming off of a strong cross country campaign. He has also recruited some accomplished sprinters in freshmen newcomers Tyrik Overton (Tarrytown, NY), Arnold Staton (Little Ferry, NJ), Richard Price (Thornwood, NY), and Nathaniel Rose (Queens, NY), to join veterans such as seniors Shadrac St. Louis (Garnerville, NY) and B.J. Harring (Sandwich, MA).
"This combination will give us the best sprint corps in the brief history of track and field at Mercy College," said Bullock.
Several members of the men's soccer team have also joined the squad this season, including freshmen Carl Spence (St. Catherine, Jamaica), and David Meireles (Yonkers, NY), and sophomore Omar Bowen (Montego Bay, Jamaica). They will be competing primarily in sprints and middle distance events for the Flyers. Two others that are looking to compete in the middle distance events are sophomores Kevin Gibson (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Jose Gomez (Monroe, NY). "I fully expect to see Kevin Gibson step up to have the kind of season we've been expecting," said Bullock. Another sophomore on the squad is Denis Aqulliu (Tivana, Albania) who will be competing in sprints for the Flyers.
Bullock looks for sophomore Katelyn Klobus (Babylon, NY), senior Melissa Lisbona (Midland Park, NJ), and senior Sharon Sklar (Chappaqua, NY) to shine for the women's team. He also expects freshmen Sasha Atkins (Bronx, NY) and Janet Wong (Vancouver, Canada) to make an impact right from the start.
Bullock feels Atkins will be a key complement in the sprints. "On the women's side we have a remarkable sprinter in Sasha Atkins," he said. "She will challenge for conference championships in several events, especially the 200m." Mercy's other participant in sprints will be sophomore Feliza Lopez (Brooklyn, NY).
Sophomores Latasha Williams
(Bronx,
NY) and Susan Paulsen
(Goshen,
NY) will represent Mercy in the
middle distance events this season. There will also be two
participants in distance events this season, in Klobus and senior
Khadijah Khan
(Montreal,
Canada). Klobus is coming
off a 12th place finish at the East Coast Conference
Cross Country Championships in October, and will try to carry that
success into the 800-meter and occasionally the one mile
race.
Wong, who will be competing in the high jump, was one of Bullock's recruits this season. "She will make her presence known immediately in the conference," said Bullock. Seniors, Lisbona and Sklar will be the key participants in throws.
The 2006-07 season begins on December 1, when the Flyers compete in the Fordham Opener. The next meets will see the Flyers travel to New Haven, CT; competing at the Yale Lidlifter. To finish off the month, Mercy's women's squad will compete in the Colgate Games, a series in which they will participate in every Saturday in January. The other meets in January include the New York University Gotham Cup, the Great Dane Classic-U at Albany, and the NYRRC "Thursday Night at the Races."
February finds the team competing in five meets, with all but one being held at the New Balance Track & Field Center/Armory Track in New York. The lone February meet that isn't in New York is the DeSchriver Invitational at East Stroudsburg University. The squad then concludes the year on March 3-4, in Boston, at the IC4A/ECAC Championships.
"We have clearly upgraded our indoor schedule this season," said Bullock. "There's an excitement about the upcoming season. Indoor track is a uniquely Eastern event and provides a competitive window upon which to view our progress for the admittedly preferred outdoor season. I anticipate a successful campaign, which will assist our overall program goals."
