West Deptford Girls' Track Preview: A Year Of Versatility And Depth

When West Deptford girls’ track coach Mark Drummond looks to fill out his event cards during a meet this season, he will have all kinds of options. Talents like Megan Kirschling and Claudia Theriault give him, and the Eagles, great flexibility.

Kirschling and Theriault, along with Samantha Budd, Millie Kipp and Megan Knoblock, figure to be the backbone of a West Deptford team out to match or surpass last year’s seven-win season.

Kirschling and Theriault have the versatility to succeed in a half dozen events or more each, something Drummond is thankful of given the youthfulness of much of the rest of the roster.

“We know we will win some events with Kirschling, Knoblock and Claudia—it’s just a matter of how fast can these younger girls step up behind them and get second and thirds,” Drummond said.

Kirschling, who is a standout high jumper and hurdler, may see her event schedule lessened in the early stages of the season, as she recovers from a foot injury that occurred late in the basketball season. Drummond said Kirschling is recovering just fine and appears healthy, but he plans on easing her in given her importance to the team in the long run.

“We are taking things easy and making sure it’s healed, so she has been scaled back,” Drummond said. “But there has been nothing noticeable in terms of the injury. She is getting it taped and being extra cautious, but we put the (high jump) bar up at 5-6, and she went right over it. Long-term, it doesn’t look like it will be a problem, but I don’t want to throw her in four events the first two meets. She will be competing in sectionals, states and possibly nationals again.”

While Drummond prepares his team for the start of the regular season he also has one eye focused on the West Deptford Relays, which will be in its 20th year. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 14 and will feature 54 teams. That number is down slightly from last year, but it is still an overwhelmingly positive amount given that this year’s event fell on the same day as eight other relays around the state.

“This is the first year I actually had to do a little recruiting,” said Drummond. “I was able to convince two or three schools that were going to go to another meet to come here, so that was pretty cool.”

GIRLS' TRACK

Coach:Mark Drummond

Last year: 7-4

Returning letter winners: Megan Kirschling (sr.) high jump, hurdles; Samantha Budd (sr.), middle distance;  Kiyah Owens (sr.) throws; Marthalyn Johnson (jr.) throws; Claudia Theriault (jr.) pole vault, triple jump, hurdles; Megan Knoblock (jr.) distance; Millie Kipp (jr.) distance; Amber Jones (so.) sprints; Kelli Tachdjian (so.) sprints; Megan Sullivan (jr.) sprints.

Promising newcomers: Nicole Pinto (fr.) hurdles, jumps; Madison Moreno (fr.) 100, 200, 400; Zoe Shannon (fr.) hurdles, high jump; Karen Knoblock (fr.) 1600, 3200; Elizabeth Douglas (fr.), sprints.

Team to beat: Haddon Heights.

Outlook: The Eagles will likely be a step behind Haddon Heights and Haddonfield due to some of the team’s youth, but the Eagles should produce another winning season and will send a host of athletes through to states.

Three storylines to follow:

–Future of the pole vault. The Eagles have five girls eager to compete in the pole vault this year, and four of them are freshman. Drummond knows the unit may struggle at times this year, but is excited about the potential of the group down the line if they stick with the program.

–The competition in the sprints. The Eagles have a plethora of young sprinters this season; however, it remains to be seen who will emerge as the top runners. Sophomore’s Amber Jones and Kelli Tachdjian have promise, as does junior Megan Sullivan, who spent last year with the softball program. Freshman Madison Moreno could also turn some heads.

–Surviving the early schedule. The Eagles open up with a meet against Haddon Heights and follow that up with a tri-meet clash against Haddonfield and Haddon Township. Considering some of the youth and injuries West Deptford is dealing with, the team might have been better served facing those teams later in the schedule.