If they make another jump at the conference outdoor meet May 3-5 at Youngstown State, they have a legitimate chance of seizing the first league title in program history.
»RELATED: Raiders bowling team win’s national club championship
“I just sent a message to the group. We still have (three) weeks to the conference meet, so things can change. But if you look at the performance list right now, we’re ranked second as a team,” coach Rick Williamson said.
“Hopefully that motivates the girls and shows them they’re doing well and that they can surprise some people as a team.”
Wright State is coming off a solid showing at the Cincinnati Invitational last weekend, finishing fifth among 16 teams. Senior Aurora Turner won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a school-record time of 10:37.93 and junior Shelby Nolan the 10,000 run. Turner earned Horizon League Runner of the Week honors.
Those two are among five Raiders with the best results in the league in their individual events this season. Junior Victoria Angelopoulos leads the way in the 800, senior Brooklyn Mikesell in 400 hurdles and senior Maria Heckman in the pole vault.
»RELATED: Wright State to play game at Fifth Third Field
“As great as they did in the indoor meet, they’re running even better in the outdoor season. That’s across the board,” Williamson said. “In pretty much every running event, we’re represented really well right now.”
The Raiders return three individual outdoor champs: Angelopoulos in the 800, Mikesell in the 400 hurdles and senior Hailey Brumfield in the 3,000 steeplechase.
Turner shattered her own school record in the 5,000 run while finishing second at the indoor championship, and Angelopoulos set a new mark during a runner-up showing in the 800.
“You want people to get better each year and finish off their senior years having their best races. It’s a trend we’re kind of following. That’s kind of cool to see,” Williamson said.
They Raiders are especially deep in the distance events — they’ve excelled in cross country the last few years — and that will be a key to racking up points at the league meet.
“It’s a special group of seniors. It won’t last forever. We’re trying to enjoy them while we can,” Williamson said.
“Sometimes you just get lucky. When you recruit kids, you don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ve been blessed with great students and great kids, and they’re great competitors as well.”
Sports camps: Coach Scott Nagy and his staff will be holding a basketball day camp June 17-20 for boys in grades 3 to 8. Sessions run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at McLin Gym in the Nutter Center, and the cost is $200.
For info, contact director of basketball operations Nick Goff at nick.goff@wright.edu or (937) 775-2418.
Baseball coach Alex Sogard will have camps June 24-27, July 22-25, July 29-Aug. 1 and Aug. 5-8 for players ages 6-13. The cost is $150, and sessions run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For info, contact director of player development Chris Rodriguez at christopher.rodriguez@wright.edu or (937) 751-6016.
Men’s soccer will have camps for boys ages 5-13 from 9 a.m. to noon June 24-27 and July 8-11. The cost is $105 before April 30. There’s also an overnight camp for boys ages 14-21 from June 8-10. For info, email wrightstatemsoccer@gmail.com.
Women’s soccer will have camps for girls ages 5-14 on June 24-27 and July 8-11. For info, call (937) 775-2728 or email at wsuwomenssoccer@gmail.com.
About the Author