Virginia Indoor Track and Field Preview - Part Three

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Jan. 17, 2013

What are you looking to see from the women’s high jumpers?
“They are a group that at one point in time or another in their careers, they have had a lot of success. Pearl Bickersteth, joining the six-foot club last year, has worked hard to improve some small technical areas. But overall the group has been working hard. From a training standpoint, we have brought a little philosophical change from what they have done, so they have done well adjusting to those changes.” – Head coach Bryan Fezter

Who among the women’s multi-event performers are poised for a big year?
“The multis are an inexperienced group. We converted Anna Finger from primarily a horizontal jumper to a multi. The group overall has not had much college experience, but it is fun to see them develop. They bring a good energy and vibe to it.” – Fetzer

What was the focus during the fall for the jumpers and the multi-event performers?
“With me being new to the staff, the most important part of the fall was just making sure the transition went smoothly. I wanted to get my training plan implemented. It was important to work on making sure the athletes got better while getting used to me as their new coach. Things went well in the fall. One of our main emphasizes was fitness. This group is a lot fitter than they have been and they are a lot stronger. We are looking forward to a very competitive indoor season.” – assistant coach Mario Wilson

How has the transition to Virginia gone for you in terms of learning a whole new group of athletes?
“That is always an adventure. But from day one, all of these athletes have been on-board. I have gotten a lot of good support from the upperclassmen, especially people like Dallas Rose and Matt Armentrout. Those seniors showed great leadership for the group and easy for the younger athletes to follow their example. Once you have the whole group on-board, it is easy to make progress from there.” – Wilson

Among the men’s jumpers, who are you expecting to have a strong season?
“Ryan Satchell is a second-year who had a great first season. He made some big improvements from high school. He found a way to get sixth in the triple-jump at the outdoor ACC meet last year. We are looking to build on that this year. Being a year older, coming off a lot of positive experiences last year, I expect him to be on the podium and maybe hit a NCAA qualifying distance.” – Wilson

What do you think the strengths of the women’s jumpers will be during the indoor season?
“Leading off, you have Dallas Rose, who is in her final year at UVa. She is a returning indoor All-American. She was an All-ACC triple-jumper as well. We have talked about possibly reaching for an ACC Championship and getting back to the NCAA meet and getting on the podium there. Those are some realistic goals. Edy Ndem has been doing well. Her best marks come in the long jump and could potentially make strides in the triple-jump too. I see her scoring at the ACC meet in the long jump this year. She has been working hard and has the talent to do it.” – Wilson

What are you looking for from the men’s multi-event competitors?
“Christian Lavorgna had some success last year as a freshman in his first year doing the multis. He scored at the ACC Championships and we are looking to build on that success. He had some injury problems outdoors last year, but he has gotten past those and has definitely gotten stronger. He is more comfortable in his role as a combined-event athlete this year. He is doing a great job of tutoring and leading one of our first-years, John Michael Pirtle. He has a great opportunity to score in the event as well.” – Wilson

What are you expecting from the throwers this season?
“It is the smallest group of the team. Our throws group is a transition period. We graduated the vast majority of them last year. We are putting a lot of emphasis in the recruiting part of that area. I don’t think I have been more excited about one individual’s transformation in work ethic than what Abbey Karin has done. She has been a complete leader all fall. She has a lot of confidence and we expect big things from her. She has led by example in terms of making sure she is in the condition she needs to be in to perform.” – Fetzer

What does it mean for the program to add someone to the coaching staff like Martin Maric who has such a vast amount of international experience?
“With Martin coming in, that is part of our transition in the throws. We are looking to bring in some high-level throwers. Virginia, in the past, has had some great throwers. But we want to have that expectation reached and then exceed it. I couldn’t be more excited about our whole staff. Everyone has done an unbelievable job. For me, it is the end of year one and the start of year two and I definitely think we are headed in the direction we need to be going to be one of the elite programs in the ACC and one of the elite programs in the country.” – Fetzer