Let's start with Nicole Teter. This is the kind of woman who makes track exciting. A solid half-miler whom we always knew had talent -- after all, she ran 2:05.61 in high school -- Teter never seemed to be on the fast track to anything. After high school, she ran for Arkansas for less than a year. Things didn't work out.

Then she traveled the circuit -- not very far from home. She ran well on occasion, making three USA Championship finals, but not the finals of the Olympic Trials. Decent stuff, but in a meet promoter's eyes, the only tickets she would sell would be to her family.

Last year, Teter saw mixed success. She improved to 2:01.32 but only managed fourth at nationals. She watched the Worlds on TV.

So here we are in the year 2002, a year with no Olympics (except for that Utah thing) and no World Championships. What better year to try a new coach and go nuts?

Which is just what Teter has done. First came the stunning move to the mile at the adidas Midwest Invitational (okay, so she was just visiting, but a 4:32.71 is nothing to sneeze at). Then came the USA Indoor Championships on the Armory's lightning-fast track. There she took Mary Slaney's 22-year-old American Record in the 800 meters (later tied by Suzy Favor Hamilton) and slapped it silly, leaving it headfirst in a dumpster.

Her 1:58.71 was a full 2.61 under her lifetime best. "I am shocked, incredibly shocked. I'm amazed. I've been training really hard and I'm training with a new team, the Nike Farm Team with Frank Gagliano ... My Coach had no doubts with me. He just told me to go out there and get that record. It's one of the biggest compliments when your coach is backing you without any doubts."

Teter isn't the only one who has exploded during the current indoor season. It's been a banner year for people to leapfrog to higher levels. Read on for more:

Pate shines
Ask Miguel Pate about being amazed. The long jumper added nearly inches to his indoor best in jumping 28-2.25 to win the USA title. Only two gentlemen have flown farther under a roof: Carl Lewis and Ivan Pedroso. "I knew something special could happen because last year I jumped 27-even. I knew I was going to jump far, I didn't think 28 but something special. It feels great even being mentioned in the same breath as Lewis and Pedroso. What can I say? I don't know what to say. I'm shocked. But just to be mentioned in the same breath with those guys, it's an honor."

The next weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., Pate won the NCAA title with his 27-4.5. "I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish this indoor season," the Alabama senior said.

Hartwig flying high
Jeff Hartwig skipped the U.S. meet but has been making the most of things in Europe with a string of American records, topped by an amazing 19-9. It wouldn't be a bad bet to wager that he will be the next human over the 20-0 barrier. Hartwig's big jump came in Sindelfingen. He broke the record of 19-8.5 the he set two days earlier. A few weeks before, he had leaped 19-8.25 for his first U.S. record of the season.

Richards: the new one
Sanya Richards doesn't have a lot of indoor experience, coming from St. Aquinas High in Pembroke Pines, Fla. But the high school senior -- a Jamaican national who has applied for U.S. citizenship -- did OK last weekend. First she slashed more than a full second off the national prep record in the 400, then she came back on day two at the National Scholastic meet and crushed the 200 record.

Just how good is her 52.10/23.22 double? She would have won the 400 and just missed winning the 200 at the U.S. Championships held on the same track the previous weekend (that's the grown-up championships). At the NCAA Championships, held on another fast track, she would have won the 400 and placed fifth in the 200. So Texas coach Bev Kearney, is probably pretty happy about signing Richards last fall. If the Longhorns had been able to run her at Fayetteville, they would have moved up from 11th to the top three.

Richards ran "only" 53.49 and 23.09 last year, along with an 11.58 in the dash and a 19-11.25 long jump). She has made a quantum leap this year to world-class status. Only seven earthling women have gone faster this season.

Ceplak chasing records
Jolanda Ceplak didn't open too many eyes at last year's World Championships. She didn't even make the finals. All that has changed indoors. First, the 25-year old Slovenian defeated favored Stephanie Graf in the 800 at the European Indoor Championships. Her time, a blazing 1:55.82 world record, took down the best of 1:56.40 set by East Germany's Christine Wachtel 14 years ago. Graf also broke the old mark with her 1:55.85.

The race, a two-woman runaway, didn't look like it was Ceplak's, especially after Graf caught her in the last 100 meters. However, Ceplak fought back for the gold: "I went for it telling myself, if I die, I die."

A week later in Glasgow, Ceplak went for the 1,500 meter world record of 4:00.44, but ran 4:05.44 instead. She was not disappointed in what she called her first serious 1,500. This summer she plans to run both the 800 and 1,500 at the European Championships.

Feofanova eclipsing Dragila in the vault
For the past few years, whenever it counted, fans could count on American Stacy Dragila to win the pole vault and set the big records. Russian Svetlana Feofanova would have won best supporting actress honors in many of their vault dramas; she was great, but she wasn't Stacy.

She's still not Stacy, but the World Championship silver medalist is kicking butt in impressive Dragila-like fashion. Let's take a look at her season: Feb. 3, Stuttgart, 15-5.5 world record; Feb. 6, Stockholm, 15-6 world record; Feb. 10, Ghent, 15-6.25 world record; Feb. 24, Lievin, 15-6.75 world record; March 3, Vienna, 15-7 world record, Euro gold medal.

After missing yet another world record in Glasgow, Feofanova said: "Let's forget about today, it was not quite there. Let's think more about the whole season. I don't think I expected this season at all. The world records just started to happen. Five times the world record is just unbelievable. You have to be quite lucky with these attempts and wow, haven't I had luck five times!"

Jeff Hollobaugh, former managing editor of Track and Field News, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached by e-mail at michtrack@aol.com.