Huskies picked to finish eighth in NSIC preseason poll
12/21/2020 10:16:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
BURNSVILLE, MINN. - To say the St. Cloud State University women's indoor track and field team had a record breaking 2019-20 might be an understatement. The Huskies saw several individuals set personal records (PR) throughout the course of the season, while the team themselves had a pretty spectacular run at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Indoor Track and Field Championship in February. This year, St. Cloud State is looking to improve on its 2019-20 finish, as the Huskies were picked to finish eighth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll announced early Monday morning.
The St. Cloud State women's track and field team looks to continue its upward projection in the NSIC standings after finishing seventh at the championship meet one year ago. This year, the Huskies will be led by sprinter Emelia Burris (Wooddale, Ill. / Fenton) and multi specialist Faith Lubner (Reedsville, Wis. / Reedsville), who were both picked at NSIC Preseason Athletes to Watch for the Huskies. Already a two-time All-Conference honoree, Burris looks to end her St. Cloud State career on a high note, having finished third place in long jump at the Indoor Championships in 2019-20. Lubner also looks to add more to her trophy case after missing much of the 2019-20 indoor season due to injury. Like Burris, Lubner is a two-time All-Conference honoree, having finished in the top-3 in the 2018-19 Pentathlon (Indoor) and Heptathlon (Outdoor) competitions.
In total, St. Cloud state returns ten student-athletes who scored points at the NSIC Indoor Track and Field Championships, whether it was as an individual or in relay events. On the track side of things, Clara Welhouse (Green Bay, Wis. / Southwest) is the Huskies top returning distance runner, while several seniors, including Burris, Shantelle Des Marais (Pipestone, Minn. / Pipestone), Alexis Fallow (Prairie Du Sac, Wis. / Sauk Prairie) and Kaylee Gessay (Waukesha, Wis. / Waukesha South), lead a strong core of sprinters.Â
St. Cloud State will also be a strong team in field events, as Maya Taylor (Oswego, Ill. / Oswego East), Claire Shae (Excelsior, Minn. / Chanhassen), Victoria Czech (Chippewa Falls, Wis. / Chippewa Falls) and Leighten Fischer (Iola, Wis. / Iola-Scandinavia) return after scoring points at the Indoor Championship meet in 2019-20.
