After a pair of second-place finishes last year, the Muhlenberg indoor track and field teams look to step it up a notch at this weekend’s Centennial Conference Championships, hosted by Ursinus.

Competition begins Saturday at 12 noon and is scheduled to wrap up by 3:00 on Sunday afternoon.

Freshman Hannah Slyvester looks to help the Mules jump over the competition this weekend. Ranked in the top eight in the high jump and long jump, she is also scheduled to compete in the high hurdles and 200 meters.

The women’s team placed a program-best second last year as host Dickinson overcame a slight Muhlenberg lead in the final event of the competition. The Mules have steadily improved since a ninth-place finish in 2000 and look to continue their successful 2006 indoor season, following their 2005 CC outdoor championship.

The men’s team also saw drama with Dickinson last season as the Mules finished a half-point ahead of the host school for second place, behind perennial champion Haverford.

Both teams enter this weekend’s competition with confidence, protected by a strong lineup from top to bottom.

The women will look to hold off top challengers Haverford and Dickinson in hopes of claiming their first indoor track championship. The Mules are led by senior Karen Mount, who recorded the fastest times in the CC during the season in the 800 and the mile – both school records and ECAC qualifying times. She’ll also compete on the 4x400 and distance medley relay teams. Mount finished second in the mile last year.

Juniors Rachel Drosdick and Jacquelyn Inverso each rank in the top five in three individual events on the CC performance list. Drosdick’s 55-meter hurdles time was the second best of the season, and she sits second in the long jump and fifth in the high jump. Inverso, first in the triple jump, is fifth in the long jump and tied for fifth in the high jump.

“We feel we are in really great shape,” said Inverso, who won the triple and high jumps at the 2004 CC Indoor Championships. “We are strong in every aspect. We have a lot of confidence after last year. We know what it is like to come that close and lose. Now we know what we need to do and the mind set to be in to win.”

Senior Danielle Seiler, who is scheduled to compete in six events this weekend, ranks first in the 400, an event she won at last year’s Championships, and third in the 200. She will also try to score points in the 55-meter hurdles, the long jump and the 4x200 and 4x400-meter relays.

The men’s team will be powered by its middle distance runners and jumpers. Juniors Lex Mercado (first in the 800, second in the 400 and third in the mile) and Steve Rothwell (second in the 800 and fifth in the mile) will lead the team. Mercado and Rothwell will join senior Jason Finkelstein to remake three of the four legs of the 4x400 team that finished second last year.

Sophomore Joel Haddock (fifth in both the long and triple jumps), classmate Adam Carter (fourth in the high jump) and freshman Pat Cunning (first in the high jump) also look to add more points for Muhlenberg.

Besides aiming for the crown, this weekend’s competition features a secondary goal – preparing for the ECAC Championships the following weekend, also hosted by Ursinus. Seven Mules (in 11 events) and two relay teams have qualified so far.

“It’s definitely an advantage for us to get to go to Ursinus three times,” said Inverso, who finished fifth in the 55-meter hurdles at Ursinus three weeks ago. “We are used to the facilities. We know all the turns and the starts. It’s also an advantage that it’s close by.”

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