Track & Field Debuts 2019-20 Season Friday at Fasttrack Season Opener

12.5.19 | Women's Track and Field

PHILADELPHIA – Almost seven months after the 2019 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships, the Temple University track and field squad is primed and ready to debut their talent for the 2019-20 season. The Owls are slated for a two-meet weekend at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex to compete at the Fasttrack Season Opener on Friday, Dec. 6 and the Bill Ward Invitational on Sunday, Dec. 8. After months of diligent training in the off-season, head coach Elvis Forde has high expectations for the team in his sixth season at the helm of the program.

"I truly believe that this is the best group we have had in my six years at Temple," said Forde. "Because of this, I have high expectations for what the team can do. We have a very talented group of student-athletes that I think can get us in the top-four at the conference meet in February. If they stay healthy and continue training how they have been, it's going to be a very exciting year."

After not quite meeting their own expectations at the indoor championships with a 10th place finish in 2018, the Owls have returned to the drawing board and will rely on their 2019-20 indoor slate and their training regimen to hit their marks this year. Despite not having their best team performance last season, there were glimpses of individual greatness for the Cherry and White.

Helene Gottlieb got on the podium in two events at the indoor championships last season, earning all-conference honors in the mile and the 800m. Marissa White was also phenomenal at her first-ever conference meet, finishing well above her seed in the 400m and just barely missing the podium with a fourth place finish. In the regular season, Millie Howard reset her own 1000m program record to 2:46.74 at the Valentine Invitational and the DMR of Gottlieb, Howard, White and Grace Moore reset the program's best mark to 11:23.03 at the Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge.

Building off of last year's successful track and field season and a solid 2019 cross country season, the 2019-20 squad has the pieces in place to make strides of improvement this year. The 27-person roster is backed by 15 veteran returners and features 12 talented newcomers to prime the team for success.

The distance crew will look to build off of multiple personal records and program-best marks last season, returning a solid core in Gottlieb, Howard, Moore and Michelle Joyce. The team will also heavily rely on newcomers Alanna Lally, Mikaela Vlasic and Laura Nicholson to make an impact during their first years in Cherry and White.

At the 2019 AAC Indoor Championships, Gottlieb finished third in the mile and second in the 800m to highlight the weekend for the Owls. She was also a part of the DMR that just missed the podium with a fourth place finish at the championship meet to wrap up her standout sophomore indoor season and set herself up for success during outdoor. Howard returns alongside Gottlieb to compete in the mile and the 800m for her final season in Cherry and White. Last year, she reset the 1500m AAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship meet record to 4:21.80 and was crowed the individual champion in the event. The familiar duo of Gottlieb and Howard has continued to improve over the years and is ready to get back on the podium together this season.

Temple also returns two key long-distance runners in Moore and Joyce. Moore will compete on the indoor track for the first time in almost a year after injury forced her to redshirt the 2018-19 season. Joyce will join her teammate for her junior year as a hardworking, consistent competitor for the group. Newcomers Lally, Vlasic and Nicholson each bring a unique perspective to North Philly, making their Cherry and White track debuts as a redshirt senior, transfer and true freshman, respectfully. The distinct backgrounds of the group makes for a versatile slew of competitors that Temple will heavily rely on this season.

"Grace is extremely talented and I'm really looking forward to watching her get back on the track," said Forde. "She has the potential to be at the top of the league and be an integral part of what we are trying to achieve. Millie is coming off of her best cross country season, which speaks volumes to what she has the potential to accomplish during indoor. Helene has already been so successful as a freshman and a sophomore in the conference and I know she wants to do some special things this year. Michelle is one of the hardest workers and her consistency will allow her to continue to be successful in her junior year.

Looking at the newcomers, Laura has the potential to be a big point scorer in the distance events at the conference meet and we're really excited about having her back and healthy for the indoor season. Mikaela has already shown that she adds a great deal of depth to our 800m crew and will contribute greatly as a transfer. On paper, Alanna will be one of the best 800m runners in the conference, expanding our depth in the mid-distance events even further. We're looking forward to putting another break in the indoor DMR record and to having a great season with this group."

Temple will rely on three key sprinters to contribute greatly this season. Coming off of an exceptional rookie season, White returns with the bar raised even higher as a sophomore. The Nassau, Bahamas native won her first-ever race as an Owl and never slowed down as the season progressed. After being seeded ninth at the championship meet, she advanced to finals and finished fourth overall in the 400m to just barely miss a spot on the podium. Later in the year, she represented her country at the CARIFTA Games and was a consistent point scorer for the Owls all season.

Sydney Williams returns in the hurdles for her junior season. Last year, she won the 60m hurdles at the Seahawk Shootout, advanced to finals at the Penn 8-Team Select, Villanova Invitational and Valentine Invitational and represented Temple in both the 200m and the 60m hurdles at the AAC Indoor Championships. Smith is back for her junior season in Cherry and White after running her fastest 400m of the season at the Valentine Invitational and representing the Owls in the 200m and 400m at the conference meet.

"Marissa just missed all-conference last year and set the bar so high for herself as a freshman," said Forde. "We look forward to watching her fight for a conference title this season and continue to improve. Sydney finished the outdoor season strong last year so the expectations remain high for her. Mallorie will be a vital part of our 4x4, which has the talent to break records this year."

In the jumps, the Owls return standout junior Aisha Brown and add newcomer Tannekee Strachman to bring the group to new heights this season. Brown advanced to the NCAA East Regional the past two years and is a two-time all-conference performer in the high jump. She placed fifth at the indoor meet last season while overcoming an injury and returns with lofty expectations as one of the best jumpers in the region. Strachman comes to Temple from Saint Catherine, Jamaica and will be a key contributor for the Owls in both the long and triple jump.

"Aisha and Tannekee have looked really good through training this fall. The bar is set really high for Aisha as I truly believe she has the potential to compete at the national championship. Each year she has set expectations higher and met her goals, and her work ethic and drive to always be better will take her far. We're really excited to see what Tannekee does in competition after training with us so far this season and we expect her to be a key contributor throughout the season."

The Owls have six regular season meets slated to prepare them for the conference championship in February. After this weekend, the squad will take a five week hiatus from competition over the holidays. They return on Saturday, Jan. 18 to compete at the Penn 8-Team Select, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania at Ocean Breeze. A week later they head to the N.Y. Armory to compete at the Dr. Sanders Columbia Challenge on Jan. 24-25. On Feb. 1, they return to Ocean Breeze for the Villanova Invitational, and the regular season concludes with the two-day Valentine Invitational in Boston, Mass. on Feb. 14-15.

The two-day 2019 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships are slated or Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, Feb. 29. The conference meet will be hosted in Birmingham, Ala. at the Birmingham Crossplex, followed by the NCAA Indoor Championship meet on March 13-14 in Albuquerque, N.M.