Wake Adds Three Transfers To Women's Track Roster
5/30/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
May 30, 2000
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's track team will add three transfers to its roster next season, head coach Annie Bennett announced today. The Deacons previously signed seven freshmen for the 2000-01 season.
Carissa Rutland, a transfer from Stephen F. Austin State University, will join the team after establishing three school records at SFASU her freshman season. She set records in the 3,000-meters with a time of 10:07, in the 5,000-meter with a time of 17:24, and ran the 10,000-meters in 36:41 to set a school record. As a senior at Clements HS in Sugarland, TX, Rutland earned top honors in the 1998 5A Texas State Cross Country Championships. She'll have three years of eligibility remaining in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
Courtney Lancashire, who provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 5,000-meter run, will also transfer to Wake Forest with three years of eligibility remaining. She competed a season ago at the University of Texas, where she earned points in both the 3,000-meters and 5,000-meters at the Big 12 Conference Championships.
Bennett will look to both Rutland and Lancashire to ease the loss of Janelle Kraus, who graduated this past May, in the 3,000- and 5,000-meter events.
"On our cross country team, we have a great group of seniors and a large freshman class, but with the addition of Courtney and Carissa, we'll have much needed experience to fill the gaps between our seniors and freshmen," Bennett said. "Carissa will concentrate on the 5,000 and 10,000, and Courtney's main events will be the 5,000-meters and the 3,000-meters."
Jill Kovalcik, also a transfer from Stephen F. Austin State, will split time between the pole vault and the heptathlon. Kovalcik has three years of eligibility remaining, and is the second heptathlete Bennett has signed for the upcoming season.
"Jill will add depth to our field events, and she's a versatile athlete who will compete in many events throughout the season," Bennett said.