![Gloria Asumnu (above) and Angel Dooley both qualified for the NCAA National Championships in 2005. [File photo by Pail Riley, Indiana Athletics]](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Ftulanegreenwave.com%2Fimages%2F2005%2F6%2F29%2F199238.jpeg&height=300&type=webp)
Green Wave Continues to Build Track and Field Program
Jun 29, 2005 | Track & Field
June 29, 2005
Heather Van Norman, the head coach of the Tulane men's and women's track and field programs, has always strived for two main goals - consistent effort and continual improvement. By those measures, the Green Wave men's and women's track and field seasons were very successful in 2005 as both teams battled limited numbers and lack of experience to achieve their maximum potential.
The Green Wave women's outdoor team placed seven individuals in the NCAA Regional Championships while the men's outdoor program returned after a two-year hiatus.
"In our program, we need everyone to continue to step up," Van Norman said. "It was a productive year; we can hold our heads high; but everybody still needs to put in the work; we need to believe and persevere in order to improve. And this year, we did that. I was very pleased with both teams."
On the women's side, in addition to the seven NCAA Regional qualifiers, senior Angel Dooley and sophomore Gloria Asumnu both advanced to the NCAA National Championships in the 200-meter dash. For the men, senior Eric Hambidge was the top performer, posting five separate personal records in the javelin and placing third at the C-USA Championship.
"Our women got stronger in many areas," Van Norman said. "We had a small team at the conference championship, but the majority of that group scored and reached their potential. Though we want to be a balanced team, we had more impact performers in certain areas. We have a good nucleus and then add to that a solid group of newcomers and we will be able to do great things within the conference."
Asumnu qualified for the Regionals in four events (100, 200, 4x100 and 4x400), while Dooley was a qualifier in the 200 and both relays. Junior Helmi Leppanen competed in a pair of events (shot put, javelin) while senior Lissie Mo qualified for Regionals in the long jump and the 4x100. Senior Tahira Wiggins (4x400), junior Marilyn Sauls (4x100) and freshman Shanon Beelendorf (4x400) rounded out the relay teams.
"Having so many regional qualifiers and also the two qualifiers for NCAA's sets an excellent precedent," Van Norman said. "With such a young team, everybody can see the rewards and what can be achieved with hard work and dedication."
Leppanen continued to excel in her fourth season at Tulane. She shattered her own school record in the shot put with an impressive effort of 49-09.25 while also qualifying for Regionals in the javelin. In addition, she earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District recognition.
"Helmi is the ultimate student-athlete," Van Norman said. "She goes above-and-beyond; she drives herself and works relentlessly to improve. She researches her particular events which has shown through in her performance. And she is gaining confidence since her surgery."
Two years ago, Leppanen had shoulder surgery which knocked distance off her javelin throw (she set the school record of 165-07 in 2002), however, she has a final outdoor season of eligibility remaining and will return along with Jelena Jurlina, who redshirted the entire 2004-05 campaign.
"We missed Jelena a lot this year," Van Norman said. "She is capable of scoring so many points and she has qualified for nationals the past two years. We are excited to have both Helmi and Jelena back next spring; I believe the two of them can lead us to the top of the conference."
Jurlina qualified for the NCAA National Championships in 2003 in the javelin and in 2004 in both the javelin and the discus. She holds the Green Wave discus record at 181-03. Both Jurlina (javelin, Croatia) and Leppanen (shot put, Finland) have qualified for this summer's World Championships for their respective countries.
Another strong performer for the Green Wave was Wiggins, who successfully made the transition from the 400-meters to the 800-meter run.
"It is not easy to go from the quarter-mile to the 800," Van Norman said. "[Assistant] Coach [Derek] Mills started working with her and helped her from 2:18 to 2:11 and fourth in the conference championships. That is amazing and a credit to her."
One of the Wave's deepest events was the long jump as three individuals scored at the conference championships, with all three posting NCAA Regional qualifying distances. However, Mo was the only one to advance to Regionals as the marks by Sauls and senior Camilla Hatlen were wind-aided.
"Our long jumpers have been a consistent force for us," Van Norman said. "We look forward to having Marilyn back and improving; but we will really miss Lissie and Camilla. They have earned a lot of points for us in the last few years."
Another key loss will be Dooley, who has scored points 15 times during her Green Wave career.
"Angel is a tough loss," Van Norman said. "She is in two relays and also scores in two [individual] events, so she has been getting points in four events while qualifying for Regionals the last two years. She had such a great senior year and has been a rock that we could always count on; she will be tough to replace."
Van Norman is counting on a strong recruiting class to not only replace the graduates, but also to fill the voids the team had in 2005.
"Our seniors [who are graduating] are irreplaceable," Van Norman said. "But as our program moves on, we have to fill those voids and this recruiting class will do just that, while also adding depth to our program. We need more short sprinters; we need more quarter milers; we need more jumpers. This class will fill many of those needs."
The six top freshmen for 2006 are Whitney Hampton (middle distance, Lake Forest, Calif.), Vanessa Kienast (middle distance, Houston, Texas), Jasmine Momoh (sprints, Houston, Texas), Shaina Pelham (sprints, Orlando, Fla.), Christina Tupper (jumps, Sammamish, Wash.) and Valencia Wilson (sprints, Las Vegas, Nev.). Kyra Lobbins (sprints, Chicago, Ill.), a transfer from Eastern Illinois University, will also be a key addition.
On the men's side, Van Norman had a tough task in 2005, essentially building a program from scratch. The Tulane men's track and field team was cut due to Title IX constraints following the 2002 season. However, due to an aggressive plan implemented following those cuts, Tulane's numbers reached a point where the men's outdoor program was reinstated for this year.
"As we began building the program, we asked for everybody to do their best and to learn the basics and to build a foundation," Van Norman said. "Even though we did not score high at conference, I am not at all disappointed in the year. The athletes that we had out there had determination and they kept on persevering. They set great examples for the future."
Hambidge was the top performer. After scoring at conference in 2002 as a freshman and then taking two years off, he made his triumphant return in 2005, finishing third at the C-USA Championship, achieving one of his goals of reaching the medal stand in his final meet. He was selected as the recipient of Tulane's Athletic Director's Award given for outstanding effort, attitude and for overcoming obstacles during his career.
"It was amazing that Eric came so close to qualifying for regionals after not competing for two years," Van Norman said. "I don't recall a day when he missed practice; he was truly dedicated; and he helped out with everyone else mentally and technically. He was a great leader for us this year."
The Green Wave also had a boost from the Tulane football team as eight players added their skills to the track and field team after the conclusion of spring football drills.
"I was pleased with the interest we had from the football team," Van Norman said. "I think by competing in track and field; it can help them become better football players and I think their interest shows that they agree."
With a year of experience under their belts, the men's tracksters will aim to continue to build their program in 2006.
"Our goal for next year is to continue to improve and to build on what we started this year," Van Norman said. "We are still very young; but we have a lot of people interested in this program. I am sure we will continue to improve. This first year was a learning experience. Next year, the guys will have more of an idea what to expect of Division I track and field. I want all the times and distances to be better."
"For both of our teams, we need to fill the voids within our program," Van Norman said. "That was our primary goal in recruiting and I think we were very successful with that. Our objective is to win the conference title for the women and continue to improve for the men. If we have successfully filled those voids and everyone continues to believe in the system, we will achieve our goals and more."
Players Mentioned
