In 2010, the Salisbury women’s track & field snapped Mary Washington’s 16-year dominance of the CAC Championship by winning its first team title.  In 2011, York did the same to Salisbury on the men’s side, ending the Sea Gulls’ seven-year run of championships.

So what could happen in 2012 when the seven CAC track & field programs will travel to Frostburg State’s Bobcat Stadium to vie for individual and team awards. 

The primary expectation, thanks to a preview provided by the first CAC Indoor Track & Field Championship, held at George Mason University in February, is that there are multiple challengers for gold medals in every event. 

There are All-Americans and national qualifiers sprinkled throughout the championship, such as Salisbury throwers Jay Drenner, Chelsea Tavik, Sea Gull sprinter Kara Tolson and Wesley hurdler Matt Bundy. 

There are also numerous CAC champions scheduled to compete, including Frostburg State sprinter Chauncey Mansion, Hood vaulter Chris DiGangi, and distance runners Chris Barnard of Salisbury and Tim Hartung of York on the men’s side. 

Featured in the women’s lineup are Hood’s middle distance standout Alexandra Dystant, Salisbury distance runner Becca Stinner, Stevenson sprinter Julie Egonu, Wesley sprinter/hurdlers Tamisha Thomas and Sharis Allen as well as York sprinter/jumper Laura Rowlands and distance standout Mandy Parshall.

The battles for the team trophies have also heated up.  York is the defending outdoor men’s champion, and Salisbury outworked the competition to capture the 2012 indoor title.  Frostburg State also surprised some by finish second in the indoor meet and would like nothing better than to win the outdoor crown on its home track.  Long-time CAC track & field fans would also never count out coach Stan Soper’s Mary Washington squad from having an impact on the team standings. 

In the women’s team trophy chase, Salisbury is the two-time defending champ and won the inaugural indoor title.  The Sea Gulls can expect Hood, Mary Washington and York to challenge for top honors individually and in the team standings.

The 2012 CAC Men’s & Women’s Track & Field Championship will be the final events as CAC members for Hood College and Stevenson University, which are changing membership to join the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth League for the 2012-13 season.

Here is a quick glance at each team heading into the 2012 CAC Championship:

FROSTBURG STATE

Frostburg State has plenty of momentum and plenty of reasons why it should make a legitimate run at the CAC Outdoor Championships. The Bobcats are ranked ninth in the Mideast Region, finished second at the indoor league championships and will have “home field advantage” as FSU hosts the championships at Bobcat Stadium on May 5-6. Frostburg, which boasts one win and a pair of runner-up finishes as a team this spring, currently holds the league’s top times in five events and is ranked in the top-five in 12 total events.

Frostburg State will look to build on its fourth place finish at the CAC Indoor Championships when it hosts the outdoor championships at Bobcat Stadium on May 5-6. The Bobcats are currently ranked in the top-five in eight different events in the CAC standings. Sophomore Samantha Taylor holds the league’s top spot in the pole vault (3.20 meters) after winning the indoor title and tying a school record. As a team, FSU has finished in the top-10 in all five meets during the outdoor season.

HOOD

For the first time in program history, the Hood women enter the CAC Championships with at least one women ranked in the top ten of each of the twenty events that will be contested … First year Alexandra Dystant is a top ten seed in four events ranging from 400 meters to 5000 meters … Nalla Tejera and Meghan Rose are top 10 seeds in all four throws ... Emma Arneson, Sophie Grizzle, and Chelsea Young are top 10 seeds in three events.

Top seeds for Hood Blazers are first-year Michael Beidleman who is seeded second in the 100, second in the 400, and third at 200 Meters ... Chris DiGangi, looking to become the first four-time CAC pole vault champion, is seeded second in his specialty ... Nick Aldana is the number two seed in the 110 meter hurdles.

MARY WASHINGTON

The University of Mary Washington men’s track and field team opened the year by placing fourth at the inaugural CAC Indoor Championships, led by Nate Saint-Preux, who finished first in the long jump and triple jump. The outdoor season has been building to this weekend’s CAC Outdoor Championships in Frostburg, Md., where the Eagles will look to capture the conference championship for the seventh time. Led by top performers Chris Marino, Matt Shaughnessy, and John Lilly, as well as several top underclassmen, UMW will hope to be a force as they close the season this month.

The Eagle women’s track and field team started the year in indoor season, finishing third in the first-ever CAC indoor Championships, with Brooke Thompson, Paige Kelly, Michelle Sutherland, and Kelsey Carter leading the way, both individually and in relays. The Eagles will look to challenge for the CAC Outdoor Championship next weekend in Frostburg, as the Eagles will look to add to their record 16 outdoor team championships. Freshman distance runner Tara Landy will look to continue her solid outdoor season help the Eagles to the top of the conference heap.

SALISBURY

Salisbury will be in search of its 13^th CAC outdoor title this year. The Sea Gulls enter with the conference’s top performer in nine different events during the 2012 season, led by senior Jay Drenner, the defending CAC Athlete of the Year, who has the top mark in three different field events. Classmate Chris Barnard, the two-time defending conference champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, has posted the top time in the CAC this season, and the 16^th-best time in the nation (9:20.55). Salisbury’s 4x100-meter relay team of Jacob Adedeji, Tyler Austin, Richard Newman and Adrian Jackson currently hold the 19^th-best time in the country (42.01 seconds). The Sea Gulls will be looking to build upon the momentum that began this February as the team earned the first-ever CAC indoor track & field championship.

Salisbury has won the last three CAC track & field titles, earning the outdoor crown in 2010 and 2011 and the inaugural CAC indoor championship in February. The Sea Gulls hold two of the CAC’s top performances in eight different events this season, including the top five spots in the hammer throw, led by junior Chelsea Tavik’s 158’ 11” toss. Tavik, the 2012 NCAA indoor champion in the shot put and defending CAC Athlete of the Year, currently holds the third-best mark in the country (45’ 9.75”) in that event. Sophomore Kara Tolson recently broke her own school record in the 200-meter dash, posting the nation’s 13^th-best time in the event (25.15 seconds). Senior Becca Stinner is the conference’s top performer in the 800-meter run, 1,500-meter run, 5,000-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

STEVENSON

Stevenson competes in its second and final CAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships ... Freshman Derrick Mayfield enters the conference meet ranked fourth in the 110-meter hurdles while freshman Jae DeShields is ranked seventh ... Freshman Kelvin Kobodje is seeded 10th in the 400-meter hurdles while freshman Imandre Waugh is ranked eighth in the long jump ... Freshman Shane Skyers is 10th in the triple jump ... The 4x100-meter relay team of DeShields, sophomore Christopher Newkirk, freshman Diamond Hansford and freshman Jon Marcus are seeded fifth.

Sophomore Julie Egonu, who won the 60-meter individual title at the CAC Indoor Championship, is ranked second in the 100-meter dash, just 0.10 seconds behind Salisbury's Kara Tolson ... Egonu is also seventh in the long jump and is a member of the 4x100-meter relay team along with freshman Josephine Adutwum, freshman Monee Hill and freshman Porsha Porter that is seeded fifth ... Junior Shannon Henretty is ranked ninth in the 10,000-meter run and sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase ... Freshman Tierra Greenlea and sophomore Brittany Briscoe are seeded 10th and 11th, respectively, in the discus.

WESLEY

The Wolverines will look to improve on a sixth place finish at last year’s outdoor championships and have a good chance of doing so with multiple athletes capable of scoring many points. Leading the way of course should be Matt Bundy, who won the 60m hurdles at the indoor championships while taking third in both the 60m Dash and 200m Dash. Bundy also qualified for the NCAA Championships during the winter and should do so again this spring. Also a cornerback on the football team, Leon Jones could also score points in the sprints for the Wolverines. In the distance events, freshman Richard Feeney has been the key for Wesley.  In the field events, Robert McCloskey, Will Seeley and Dominick Massimiano could all add points for Wesley.

Wesley finished fourth at last season’s outdoor track championships after being led by Tamisha Thomas and Sharis Allen who took first and third, respectively, in the 100m hurdles. Both runners return this year and have had even better performances in the event this season. Allen will also double up in the long jump. Tristin Burris could score points in the distance events while Shakeiya Marshall will look to do the same in the sprints

YORK

The York men's track & field squad embarks on the 2012 Capital Athletic Conference Championships looking to defend their 2011 team title. Victorious in last year's league meet, the Spartans captured their first CAC championship in 20 years at their home track in York. This season, junior Phillip Cavaluchi and sophomore Tim Hartung are both having outstanding campaigns and will look for championship performances. Cavaluchi, a two-time All-CAC honoree in the long jump, will look to show exceptionally well in a number of events including his signature long jump. On fire all year, Hartung enters his second CAC Championships after winning the 10,000 meters last year as a freshman. He broke the conference record in the 5,000 meters this year and will look to put up quality points for the Spartans. York will also look to Zach Rogers (jumps), Joquan Jamison (sprints), Wil Feliciano (mid-distance), Steven Childres (distance), Kameron Wansel (hammer), and Marcus Bailey (discus) for tremendous performances as the Green and White look to defend their title.

The York women's track & field squad enters the 2012 Capital Athletic Conference Championships as a team looking to put it all together over the two championship days. Last season, the Green and White snagged second-place overall for the first time in school history. This season senior Mandy Parshall, a five-time CAC track individual event champion during her career, will look for a fantastic finish to a tremendous four years. Laura Rowlands, the 2011 conference Rookie of the Year, won each of the three jumping events and was part of York's victorious 4x100 squad and could have another tremendous championship meet. Rookie sensation Jasmine Smith has burst onto the scene this year. She already owns program records in the long jump and 100-meter dash and will look to compete for her first CAC titles in just her freshman season. Katie Shinn, Meaghan Jackson, and Brittany DeManda will look to compete well for the Spartans in the throws while York's 4x100 relay squad should have the opportunity to post a quality time at the league championships.