Head coach Simon Hodnett hopes for his teams to win another championship this year and to have his best performers appear at the NCAA Indoor Championships in early March. Hodnett would like to see representatives from the men's and women's sides in the meet and his best chances may lie in two of last year's top performers, junior Jessie Gaines and sophomore Brian Richards.

Gaines is coming off a sophomore season where she garnered Most Outstanding Track Performer, Most Outstanding Field Performer, and overall Most Valuable Performer at the NEC Championships, while also receiving an athlete of the week nod on Feb. 2. Gaines holds the school record for the 55-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash, and the conference record in the 60-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles.

Richards picked up three rookie of the week awards in his freshman indoor season, capped by an appearance in the NCAA East Region Prelims, where he competed in the long jump. Richards leapt to a mark of 7.34 meters, good enough for a 27^th-place finish.

Hodnett also expects top-notch performances from his seasoned veterans competing in their final season as Blackbirds. He cites athletes like seniors Julius Mutekanga, Danay Spencer, Christine Jones and Ashley Veney as consistent performers who know what they need to do to find success. Mutekanga earned track athlete of the week honors on Feb. 9, when he ran a 48.09 in the 400-meter dash at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. At the time, it was the fastest mark in the NEC. Juniors Torrie Saunders, Jazmin Waller, and Nickolei Mahlung are also expected to be key contributors for Long Island.

Hodnett said that his seniors, along with a number of his other athletes, came into the season with the best levels of fitness he's seen, and hopes it will translate into strong performances on the track. One obstacle he hopes to overcome with his returners is the ability to rebound from mistakes and to not lose focus when events don't go perfectly.

Looking forward to the season, Hodnett welcomes a handful of newcomers who are expected to come in and score points immediately for LIU. Hodnett compares Sophomore Kenneth Wallace Whitfield to Mutekanga, possessing speed and depth in a variety of middle distance events. Also adding depth in the middle distance realm are freshmen Branden Arrington, an 800-meter runner, and Nelson Mora. Freshman Eric Williams adds a boost to the Blackbirds' already strong team of sprinters. On the women's side, freshmen Marilena Rivera and Camille Thomas are both hurdlers who will come in and put up consistent performances, Hodnett said.

The Blackbirds may compete in another meet before the holiday break, with the location to be announced. They kick off 2011 with a string off meets at the Armory in New York, N.Y. and defend the Northeast Conference title on Feb. 12-13 at the PG Sports Complex in Landover, Md.