Team prepares for new year

After an encouraging 2002 season in which the women's track and field team finished eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championships, the squad is poised and ready to make 2003 even more memorable.\nThey'll have a chance do so this weekend, when their indoor season begins this Saturday against Michigan, Michigan State and Kent State in Ann Arbor, Mich.\nTrackwire's Preseason Top 25 poll has the Hoosier's ranked eighth -- higher than any Big Ten team in the poll.\nCoach Randy Heisler has slightly higher aspirations for the team, as he said he would like to see them finish in the top three at the NCAA Indoor Championships. With virtually all of his leading scorers back for at least another year, Heisler is optimistic for the season.\n"I'd like to see a half dozen of the girls win national titles, then another four or five place high at the national level," said Heisler, making specific reference to senior All-Americans Rachelle Boone, Danielle Carruthers and Rose Richmond.\n"I don't want to see the seniors leave without a few more rings on their fingers," he said. \nBoone, who holds the indoor school records for both the 200-meter and the 60-meter, said she hopes to contribute to the team's success by shaving time off of her personal best 7.25 second 60-meter performance.\nBoone added she sees each new season as an opportunity to build off of the previous year's accomplishments. \n"I passed the goals I set last year by far," she said. \nBut, Boone said she readily acknowledges much work remains to be done in order to ensure her last season as a Hoosier is a successful one. \nLike Heisler, Boone has high, yet realistic goals for this season. She said she expects her team to win indoor and outdoor Big Ten championships.\nCarruthers, who holds the outdoor school and Big Ten records for the 100-meter hurdles, will spend the season working out the kinks in her hurdle technique that kept her from winning national titles last year. \nOverall, Carruthers said she believes the depth of the team will contribute to its success.\n"We're a really well-rounded team, and I'm proud of how things are looking," Carruthers said.\nBoth Boone and Carruthers have trained for this season a bit differently than seasons past. This year, they have slightly altered their eating habits and have become a bit more nutrition-conscious. \nCarruthers touched on the importance of utilizing home team advantages, which the Hoosiers will have the opportunity to do on March 1-2 when they host the Big Ten Women's Indoor Championships.