The Cougars will look to build on last year's success when the team posted a fifth-place finish, the highest in program history at the Indoor Championships. They will rely heavily on good performances by their jumpers and multi-event athletes as well as the experience they've gained from competing at Clemson twice this season already.

"On paper, it looks like we'll finish sixth, but we know we can do better than that," head coach Amy Seago said. "We're looking for individuals to sneak in with some extra points."

Two such individuals are freshmen jumpers Jelain McArthur (Laurens, S.C./Laurens District) and Chelsea Taylor (Seneca, S.C./Seneca). Both have set school records this year and been recognized as the Southern Conference Field Athlete of the Week.

"We have really good freshman with real scoring power," Seago said.

Taylor cleared 11'6" in the pole vault at the Clemson Games, breaking the school record she had set just one week earlier at the UNC Classic. She has the third-highest jump in the conference, behind Julie Ward and Ashley Beale of Appalachian State.

McArthur owns indoor school records in the 60-meter hurdles, long jump and triple jump. She has the third-fastest time in the hurdles in the conference, crossing the finish line in 8.93 seconds at the UNC Invitational two weeks ago. She also is third in the SoCon in the triple jump, where her leap of 39'1¾" is almost three feet further than the previous school recordholder's. McArthur is ranked 17th in the Southeast region in the triple jump.

Finally, McArthur set the school record in the long jump with a distance of 18'1¾" at the Clemson Games.

Sophomore Emily Smith (Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern) was named the SoCon Indoor Track & Field's Freshman of the Year in 2009 after capturing the high jump title with a height of 5'10". Smith's season-best jump of 5'8" this year ties Appalachian State's Rebecca Hazeltine for the best in the Southern Conference.

The Cougars had four athletes named to the All-Freshman Team in 2009, given to all rookies finishing in the top three of each event at the meet.

Juniors Isabel Boersma (Franklin, Tenn./Ravenwood) and Brynne Johnson (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) will represent Charleston in the pentathlon. Johnson broke her own school record, originally set at the 2008 Southern Conference Indoor Championships, by 20 points with her fourth-place finish at the Clemson Games (3,084 points). Both athletes have been strong in several events throughout the season.

The school record holder in the 400 meters, junior Mary Zolga (Raynham, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) set the third-fastest time in school history at the Gene Anderson UNC Invitational on Feb. 12. Her time of 59.15 seconds should put her in scoring range for the conference meet. Zolga is also an integral part of the 4x400 meter relay.

CofC's closest competition will come from Elon, Furman and Georgia Southern. Appalachian State will by vying for it's eighth championship in nine years but will face tough competition from Western Carolina, who captured the 2008 SoCon title.

The meet kicks off at 9 a.m. on Thursday with the women's pentathlon.