Five Named to Athlete-to-Watch List for Women’s Track

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Defiance College women's track and field team placed five members on the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Athlete-to-Watch List. The team was also selected sixth in the HCAC Preseason Poll with 51 points.

Hanover collected all ten first-place votes in the poll to receive 100 points. Franklin (83), Rose-Hulman (83), Manchester (65), Anderson (64), Bluffton (39), Earlham (28), Transylvania (27) and Mount St. Joseph (10) rounded out the results.

The list of Defiance athletes includes Ellen Stryffeler, Marlea Rolander, Kaite Heitkamp, Erika DeBos and Brooke Lime.

Stryffeler is one of the members of the DC recording-holding distance medley relay team. The team holds a time of 13:36.45 in the event, and beat the old record by over nine seconds during the indoor season.

Rolander is a two-time All-Ohio winner in the 55-meter hurdles. Last season she was named HCAC Track Athlete of the Week once. She has been named to the preseason watch list three times, and was an All-HCAC runner in 2009.

Heitkamp set the DC pole vault record during the indoor season with a mark of 10-02.75. The junior is an outdoor All-Ohio honoree and has been named HCAC Academic All-Conference. Heitkamp is also a member of the 4x400 relay team that currently holds the Defiance record.

DeBos earns Athlete to Watch honors for the outdoor season after earning the same award for indoor track. DeBos has had a very successful 2012, and will look to build on two record-breaking performances. DeBos set the DC mark in the distance medley relay and also sits atop the record books in the 600-meter run.

Lime has enjoyed success as a freshman and was named to the preseason list for the first time. Lime holds the Defiance record for the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.40, and will look to earn all-conference accolades in the event.

The Jackets will begin the 2012 outdoor track and field season at home, when they host the annual Dick Small Invitational at Coressel Stadium on Saturday, March 24. The meet is set to begin at 11:00 a.m.