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David Lehman Named Head Coach Written May 19, 2009 by Ed Syguda WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein named David Lehman its new head coach for men’s and women’s track and field, Otterbein athletic director Dick Reynolds released today. Lehman, who brings nearly 40 years of coaching experience—all at Otterbein—to his new position, replaces Doug Welsh, who is retiring after 18 seasons at the helm of the Otterbein track and field program. Welsh joined Otterbein College as head men’s track and field coach and assistant football coach in 1991. “Coach Lehman’s long tenure here in track and field as well
as cross country affords us the opportunity for continued success in both
programs,” Reynolds said. “I really like NCAA Division III because the kids are here for academic reasons and the athletics—while it’s very important and we want to make it a priority—is still secondary to the academics,” Lehman said. “The things that we want to emphasize in taking this program forward are good team atmosphere and for the student-athletes to be supportive of each other,” Lehman continued. “We're looking for enthusiasm, talent and putting good effort into the athletics. We want them to work hard, have big dreams, and do it.” Upon graduation from Otterbein in 1970, Lehman helped build a successful business, the Culver Art and Frame Company, and served as the company’s secretary treasurer until the business was sold in 2005. Lehman remained with the company in an administrative role until 2009. Over the course of his coaching career, Lehman led his men’s cross country teams to seven Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championships (1980, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994 and 1995), and into the NCAA Division III Championships ten times. His 1994 team finished eighth in the nation, and his 1995 squad took 17th place. He has coached five All-Americans. Lehman is a seven-time OAC “coach of the year” selection in men’s cross country, and has earned numerous awards, including the Service to Otterbein Award from the Otterbein Alumni Association in 2005. He served on the Otterbein Board of Trustees from 2003-06. Coach Lehman and his wife, Claudia, have three grown children and two grandchildren, and live in Westerville, on the edge of the Otterbein campus.Cards Place Seventh at OAC Championships Otterbein scored 50 points at the meet, which was won by Ohio Northern, with 172 points. Heidelberg took second with 130.
“The job our men did in competing with all-out effort and commitment will be a great memory for me,” said Otterbein head coach Doug Welsh, who is retiring at the end of the season. “Obviously, Austin Curbow is an outstanding young talent,” Welsh continued. “But the determination to give nothing short of everything they had epitomized by guys like Chase Schneider, James Castrillo, Fortin Faustin, and many others will, most certainly, be the springboard to great things in 2010.” Curbow won the 110-meter hurdles (:15.36) and placed third in the 400-meter hurdles (:54.43) to earn All-OAC honors in both (top three finishers in an event garner All-OAC honors). Although Curbow was the only Cardinal to bring back all-conference honors, junior distance runner Jame Castrillo and freshman jumper Fortin Faustin came close, each finishing fourth in his event. Castrillo placed fourth in the 10,000-meter run (33:38.72) while Faustin took fourth in the long jump (21-0 1/2).Other top finishes were turned in by sophomore Bryce Bumgardner, sixth in the shot put (47-7 3/4); senior Matt Kleinknecht, fifth in the 800-meter run (1:57.26); senior Chase Schneider, sixth in the 5000-meter run (16:08.34); sophomore Chris Fyock, seventh in the 5000-meter run (16:08.78) and sixth in the 10,000-meter run (33:54.73); and freshman Tim Williard, seventh in the 10,000-meter run (34:01.21). Cards Seek to Move Up in the OAC Championships “I think our men have an excellent chance to improve dramatically from their finishing position in 2008,” said head coach Doug Welsh. “While the conference is deeper than I’ve seen in a number of years, we’re taking more athletes capable of scoring in more events than last season. I think they will give a top-flight effort this weekend.” A pair of freshmen lead the list of potential scorers for Otterbein. All-America hurdler Austin Curbow and jumper Fortin Faustin, both freshmen, head into the championships with the best performances in the OAC this season in the 110-meter hurdles and long jump, respectively. Curbow, who also has the third-best time in the 400-meter hurdles (:54.99), ran a :14.77 in the 110 hurdles at the All-Ohio. Faustin’s best mark in the long jump, 22-7 3/4 came in a winning effort at Ohio Wesleyan’s Marv Frye Invitational. Other Cardinal performers listed among the top five in the OAC include: senior Matt Kleinknecht, fifth in the 800-meter run (1:55.61); junior James Castrillo, fourth in the 10,000-meter run (32:38.01); and senior Chase Schneider, fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:54.28). Sophomore Bryce Bumgardner ranks sixth in the shot put (48-2 1/2). In addition, Otterbein holds the second-best time in the 4x800-meter relay
(8:04.10), and ranks third in the 4x400-meter relay (3:24.05). Cards Place Seventh at Marv Frye Invitational The Cardinals scored 48 points at the meet, which was won by host Ohio Wesleyan, with 163 points. Baldwin-Wallace took the second spot with a score of 103.5. “Our men had a very good meet at Ohio Wesleyan,” said Otterbein head coach Doug Welsh. "The team unity is good, and their performances are starting to improve. As things come together with relays and health-wise, the men are going to be much more of a factor as the season progresses.” Freshman Fortin Faustin took home Otterbein’s lone individual title, winning the long jump with a leap of 22-7 3/4. Freshman indoor All-America Austin Curbow, scored 14 points for Otterbein, finishing second in the 400-meter hurdles (:54.99) and third in the 110-meter hurdles (:15.38). Other top finishes included sophomore Bryce Bumgardner, third in the shot put (47-8), and senior Chase Schneider, fifth in the 5000-meter run (15:45.44). Otterbein is scheduled to compete in the All-Ohio next, slated for Saturday at Ohio Wesleyan.Curbow Earns All-America Honors in 55-Meter Hurdles
"Besides having an outstanding
amount of physical talent," said 19th-year head coach Doug Welsh, "Austin is
a little more mature than a lot of 19-year-olds. He was not outwardly
rattled by the environment, and was somewhat disturbed that he did not place
higher.
"If Austin keeps his mind-set, gets a little stronger, and can stay relatively injury-free, he has a great chance to appear at many more national meets,” Welsh added. Curbow, who won the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) indoor title this season, just reached the national final with the eighth-best time (7.69) in the preliminaries held Friday at Rose-Hulman. Cards Place Fifth at OAC Indoor Championships WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein placed fifth at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships held Friday and Saturday at Capital University. Otterbein scored 51 points in the 10-team field. Ohio Northern tallied 183.5 points to win the team title and was followed by Heidelberg (137), Mount Union (118), Baldwin-Wallace (68.5), and Otterbein.
“In what is a tremendously strong year for OAC men’s track and field,” said 19th-year head coach Doug Welsh, “I am as proud of our men for the performance they gave as I have been of any of the title-winning teams we have had here. The upperclassmen showed our younger people the type of effort needed to improve in this league. “While our young people showed some ups and downs,” Welsh continued, “they went at it hard without backing down or being intimidated. To move up five spots (placed 10th at the 2008 outdoor championship) in the standings in less than a calendar year speaks well for the athletes and the assistant coaches in charge of them.” Four Cardinals, led by freshman hurdler Austin Curbow, earned All-OAC honors by finishing in the top three. Curbow won the individual title in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.70 seconds. The freshman owns the eighth-fastest time in NCAA Division III this season, 7.61, and has qualified to compete in the NCAA Championships scheduled to begin Friday at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Senior Chase Schneider and junior Alex Simko turned in a pair of second-place finishes, Schneider in the 3,000-meter run (8:50.26), and Simko in the 800-meter run (1:57.37). Freshman Fortin Faustin also earned all-conference honors with a third-place finish in the long jump (22-7 3/4).Pair of Freshmen Help Lead Cards to 4th at All-Ohio WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein finished fourth among 20 teams at the All-Ohio indoor meet held Saturday in the Clements Recreation Center at Otterbein.
The Cardinals scored 45 points in the meet, which was won by Ohio Northern with 91 points. Ohio Wesleyan (75) finished second, with Heidelberg (71.5), Otterbein and Baldwin-Wallace (40) following to round out the top five. “I am very happy with the job our men did in improving that much from last year’s All-Ohio placement (6th in 2008),” said 19th-year head coach Doug Welsh. “The seniors are doing a very nice job of competing and stepping up their effort. I hope it continues through the OAC championships.” It was a pair of freshmen, however, who stole the show. Freshman hurdler Austin Curbow turned in one of the top 10 performances in NCAA Division III this season, winning the 55-meter hurdles in an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 7.61 seconds. Freshman sprinter Fortin Faustin took second in the long jump (22-6 1/2) and placed fourth in the 55-meter dash (6.60). The Cardinals placed two runners among the top four in the 800 meters. Junior Alex Simko finished third (1:56.34) and was followed by senior Matt Kleinknecht, who took the fourth spot (1:56.37). Senior distance runner Chase Schneider placed fourth in the 5,000-meter run (15:28.80). The Cardinals compete next this Saturday at Kent State University.Cards Place 3rd at Greater Columbus Otterbein scored 74.5 points to finish ahead of Denison (56), Muskingum (41), and Kenyon (25). Ohio Wesleyan won the meet with 189 points. Capital finished second with 85.5 points. “Our men are much improved this season,” said Otterbein head coach Doug Welsh, who is in his 19th season with the Cardinals. “The mix of some talented first-year people and improved leadership from our upperclassmen is laying a good base for future meets.” Freshman hurdler Austin Curbow turned in one of the stronger performances at the meet. Curbow won the 55-meter hurdles in 7.71 seconds, which qualifies him provisionally for the NCAA indoor championships. Sophomore thrower Bryce Bumgardner won the shot put with a throw of 46-11 3/4. “I don’t think our men performed as well as they might have at the Greater Columbus, but the desire to compete was there and that is very encouraging” Welsh said.Otterbein returns home to host the All-Ohio, scheduled to begin at
noon Saturday in the Clements Recreation Center. Cards Place 10th at OAC Championships WILMINGTON, OHIO—The Otterbein men’s track and field team finished tenth at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships held Friday and Saturday at Wilmington College. Mount Union took first place with 183 points while Ohio Northern and Heidelberg followed with 162.50 and 107 points, respectively. “I am proud of our men,” said Otterbein head coach Doug Welsh. “They competed very hard. We were devastated by some injuries and some roster deletions this season, but they did a great job of competing in a very difficult OAC.” Jared French, a senior from Marengo (Sparta Highland High School), finished third in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:58.73 to earn All-OAC honors. James Castrillo, a sophomore from Gahanna (Bishop Hartley), finished fifth in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 34:03.86. Chase Schneider, a junior from Centerburg, finished sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:49.89). The Cardinals are scheduled to compete next at the Jesse Owens Track Classic at the Ohio State University Friday and Saturday.
Cards Prep for OAC Championships The Cardinals have been forced to deal with injuries all season, and this week is no different. “We’re as injured as we’ve possibly ever been for one of these competitions,” said 18th-year head coach Doug Welsh about injury situation for the Cards. “As a group though, they’ve never stopped competing or trying to get better, that should continue this week,” said Welsh. The Cards will be counting on strong performances from Jared French, a senior from Marengo (Sparta Highland High School), Bryce Bumgardner, a freshman from Logan, and Ryan Kennedy, a senior from Delaware (Rutherford B. Hayes). All three are expected to compete for significant scoring in their events. “Everyone will make a consummate effort to contribute to Otterbein having the most productive meet possible,” said Coach Welsh. The Cardinals last captured the team OAC championship in 2004. Cards Place 9th at Marv Frye Invitational WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein placed ninth at the Marv Frye Invitational held Saturday at Ohio Wesleyan in Delaware. Otterbein scored 40 points at the meet, which was won by Ohio Wesleyan, with 172.5 points. “I have to give our men a great deal of credit for the way they are competing; the great time our mile relay team ran was indicative of that,” said Otterbein head coach Doug Welsh. “As a group, they have rebounded from what I thought was a lackluster indoor OAC performance to going at things as hard as they can.” Distance runner Jared French, a senior from Marengo (Sparta Highland High School), won the 800 with a time of 1:56.46. Other top performances were turned in by thrower Bryce Bumgardner, a freshman from Logan, who finished third in the shot put (46-7 1/2); distance runner Chase Schneider, a senior from Centerburg, who placed third in the 5000 (15:47.71); and sprinter Ryan Kennedy, a senior from Delaware (Rutherford B. Hayes), who took fourth in the 200 (:22.76). The 4 x 400-meter relay team placed fourth with a time of 3:24.07. Members of the team were Kennedy, Alex Simko, a junior from Mentor, Matt Kleinknecht, a senior from Galion, and Ben Moldenhauer, a senior from Walled Lake, Mich. (Lutheran Westland). “A lack of depth and lack of prioritization among some individuals has hurt our men’s team, but the effort is now there and the consistency is improving,” Welsh summarized his team’s progress so far over the outdoor season. “I have no qualms now with how they are approaching their tasks, and Jared French is setting a great example and is having a senior year to remember.” The Cardinals return to action Saturday, traveling back to Delaware for the All-Ohio at Ohio Wesleyan.
Cards Take Second at OAC Split Meet Otterbein, with 99 points, finished behind Ohio Northern, who won the meet with 212.5 points, in the five-team field. Jared French, a senior from Marengo (Sparta Highland High School), helped the Cardinals with victories in both the 800-meter and 1500-meter run. French posted winning times of 1:59.35 in the 800-meter and 4:06.50 in the 1500-meter. Chase Scheinder, a senior from Centerburg, won the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:10.74. The Cardinals also were aided by a win in the shot put by Bryce Bumgarder, a freshman from Logan, with a distance of 45-2 1/2. Head Coach Doug Welsh noted the increased importance on early season success this year. “With OAC championships being so early this year, there is additional pressure to perform better since there is so little time to qualify.” Otterbein next competes in the Marv Frye Invitational Saturday at Ohio Wesleyan. The meet is scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
Cards Place Fifth at OAC Championships Otterbein, with 67
points, finished behind Ohio Northern (187), Heidelberg (119), Mount Union
(114), and Baldwin-Wallace (70) in the ten-team field.
“I thought our people made a very strong effort considering the
circumstances surrounding the meet,” said 18th-year head coach Doug Welsh.
“I commend the athletes and coaches for their positive attitude and commitment
throughout the course of the weekend.” Jared French, a
senior from Marengo (Sparta Highland High School), won the 3,000-meter run with
a time of 8:42.72. French also finished second in the 1,000-meter run (2:33.47)
and third in the mile run (4:17.69), earning All-OAC honors in each event. The
top three finishers of an event garner All-OAC honors. C.J. Carroll, a
freshman from Springfield (Catholic Central), took second in the 400-meter dash
(50.50) and Matthew Kleinknecht, a senior from Galion, also finished second in
the 500-meter run (1:07.26).
Cards Prep for OAC Championships
Cards Place Sixth at All-Ohio The Cardinals tallied 30
points in the meet. Ohio Northern won with 114 points while Heidelberg finished
second with 90 points. Jared French, a senior from
Marengo (Sparta Highland High School), won the mile run with a meet-record time
of 4:18.00. “The success that Jared is having right now really reflects his
excellent practice habits, commitment to conditioning, and competitive
desire,” said 18th-year head coach Doug Welsh.” The Cards also received solid
performances from Mike Lash, a senior from Ashland, and Bryce Bumgardner, a
freshman from Logan. Lash came in fourth in the 55-meter hurdles (7.98) while
Bumgardner finished fourth in the shot put (47-1 1/2). Welsh believes that the performance at All-Ohio will propel the Cards into
the stretch run of the indoor season. He added, “There are areas that need to
be shored up. However, this team is slowly beginning to show the type of effort
needed to compete at the highest level that they can. Perhaps last weekend will
help them get there.”
Cards Place Second at Greater Columbus WESTERVILLE,
OHIO—Otterbein finished second in the six-team Greater Columbus Invitational
held Saturday in Westerville.
Walters Earns Academic All-District Honors For Walters, a senior from Circleville, this marked the second straight year he has earned this award. Walters is eligible for Academic All-America consideration. The distance runner is majoring in life science/secondary education and has made the Otterbein Dean’s List all 12 quarters. A four-year letterman in both cross country and track and field, Walters earned All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) honors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 4 x 800-meter relay at the OAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in May. He finished third in each event. Walters is a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Mortar Board and Otterbein Christian Fellowship. He plans to teach biology in high school and coach cross country and track and field. Academic All-District IV team members are selected
through voting by CoSIDA, a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports
public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United
States and Canada. District IV encompasses the states of Alabama, Kentucky,
Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Cards Place Fourth at OAC Championships “We have been fortunate to have had
championship-caliber men's teams at Otterbein,” said 17th-year head coach Doug
Welsh, “but I am as proud of this year's team as I have been of any of
those groups. The effort was total and the results were rewarding for them.” Adam Walters, a senior from
Circleville, placed third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:49.8) to earn All-OAC
honors. The top three finishers in each event earned all-conference honors.
The
4 x 800-meter relay team placed third in 7:46.27. All four members earned All-OAC
honors. Members of the team were Jared French, a junior from Marengo (Sparta
Highland High School), Matt Kleinknecht, a sophomore from Galion, Walters, and
Ben Lehman, a senior from Westerville (South).
Cards Prep for OAC Championships “Our goal this week is to continue the improvement shown over the last two weeks,” said 17th-year head coach Doug Welsh. “Some of our younger people are learning how to compete in the OAC, and, hopefully, this will transfer over into this year's championships.” Four Cardinals head into the championships ranked among the top five in the OAC in his event. Adam Walters, a senior from Circleville, sits second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:47.20) and 11th in the 1,500-meter run (4:02.75). Two-time indoor All-America Justin Rush, a junior from Cortland (Lakeview High School), ranks third in the 110-meter hurdles (14.85). Garey Berry, a freshman from Euclid, holds down the fifth spot in the high jump (6-4), and Josh Zvansky, a senior from Ashley (Big Walnut), sits third in the javelin (161-10). Jared French, a junior from Marengo (Sparta Highland), just missed the top five. French ranks sixth in both the 800-meter run (1:56.06) and 1,500-meter run (3:57.95). Mike Lash, a sophomore from Ashland, holds down the sixth spot in the 110-meter hurdles (15.56) and the seventh position in the 400-meter hurdles (57.10).Cards Place Fourth at OAC Gold Written April 3, 2007 by Ed Syguda WILMINGTON, OHIO--Otterbein finished fourth in the five-team Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Gold meet held Saturday at Wilmington. The Cardinals scored 103 points in the meet, which was won by Heidelberg,
with 148 points. Ohio Northern (143) placed second, and was followed by host
Wilmington (105), Otterbein and Capital (74). “At
this early point in the season, I feel our men are competing very well,” said
17th-year head coach Doug Welsh. “We have had some good performances in some
inclement conditions, and I’m hoping that is a good sign for when the weather
improves. Our men seem to be maturing to the point where they can be consistent
in performing up to their abilities, which is always one of our primary
goals.” Otterbein is scheduled to compete at
the Marv Frye Invitational this Friday at Ohio Wesleyan. Two-time All-America Justin Rush, a
junior from Cortland (Lakeview High School), continued his dominance in the
hurdles, winning the 110-meter hurdles in 15.11 seconds. Teammate Mike Lash, a
sophomore from Ashland, won the 400-meter intermediate hurdles (57.10) and
placed third in the 110-meter hurdles (15.68). Runners-up finishes were turned in by
Adam Walters, a senior from Circleville, 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:58.44);
Matt Kleinknecht, a sophomore from Galion, 800-meter run (1:58.29); and Tim
Weaver, a sophomore from Youngstown (Boardman), 5,000-meter run (16:30.07).
Rush Resets School Record on Way to All-America Honors Rush, a junior from Cortland (Lakeview High School), finished fifth in the 55-meter hurdles in a school record 7.57 seconds to earn All-America honors in this event for the second straight season. Rush finished fifth last season in a time of 7.77. “I couldn’t feel better—with a PR (personal record) and a lot faster time than last season,” Rush said. “Everything went well in the race.” Kenddrick Gibbons, a sophomore from Lincoln University, won the race in 7.37. “Justin ran an outstanding race,” said assistant hurdlers coach Scott McCleary. “The race was really, really close and Justin could have finished anywhere from second to fifth place.” Otterbein’s other national qualifier, Amanda Fugate, a senior from Seville (Cloverleaf Senior High School), finished 12th in the long jump Friday with a distance of 17-4.Cards Finish Fourth at OAC Indoor Championships Written March 6, 2007 by Ed Syguda WESTERVILLE, OHIO—The Otterbein men’s track and field team finished fourth at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships held Saturday at Ohio Northern University. Otterbein scored 71 points. Mount Union won the 10-team meet with 166 points. “This was a great ‘team’ effort on the part of both teams,” said 17th-year head coach Doug Welsh about the performances of the men’s and women’s teams. The women’s team won the OAC title. “The assistant coaches set the meet up in the best possible fashion for our athletes to succeed, and the kids rose to the occasion,” Welsh continued. “They left nothing on the track.” All-American Justin Rush, a junior from Cortland (Lakeview High School), continued his domination in the hurdles, winning the 55-meter hurdles for the second straight year. Rush broke his own school record with a time of 7.60 seconds, which qualified him for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, scheduled to begin Friday at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind. Rush sports the seventh-fastest time in the hurdles this season in NCAA Division III. Four members, including Rush, earned All-OAC honors by finishing in the top three in their respective events. Garey Berry, a freshman from Euclid, place second in the high jump with a personal-best height of 6-6. Matt Kleinknecht, a sophomore from Galion, finished third in the 800-meter run (1:57.34), and Jared French, a junior from Marengo (Sparta Highland), finished third in the 1,000-meter run (2:33.64).OAC Names Berry Field Athlete of the Week Written Feb. 19, 2007 by Ed Syguda WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Garey Berry, a freshman from Euclid, was selected Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) men’s field athlete of the week, the OAC released today. Berry won the high jump with a height of 6-4 at the Greater Columbus Invitational hosted by Kenyon College last Saturday in Gambier. The Cardinals won the five-team meet with a score of 167, besting Ohio Wesleyan (95), Kenyon (86.5), Capital (83.5) and Denison (76). Otterbein is scheduled to compete at the Rick Meindl Last Call Invitational hosted by Capital University Saturday in Bexley.
Cards Take Fifth at All-Ohio WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein finished fifth at the 4th-annual indoor
All-Ohio, for NCAA Division III institutions, held last Saturday in the Clements
Center. The Cardinals scored 39 points, finishing behind meet winner Mount Union,
with 130 points, Heidelberg, 73, Ohio Northern, 69.5, and Capital, 42.5, in the
19-team field. “One of the goals we coaches had for the All-Ohio and the second half of
the season,” said 17th-year head coach Doug Welsh, “was for our athletes to
increase their level of competitive intensity. I think our men did that. “We did not finish as high as we may have liked,” Welsh added, “but the
effort was there. I am confident that the effort will be even more pronounced
when we get to the OAC meet.” All-American hurdler Justin Rush won the 55-meter hurdles in 7.66,
provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field
Championships. Rush, a junior from Cortland (Lakeview High School), holds the
eighth fastest time in NCAA Division III this season. Other notable performances were turned in by Garey Berry, a freshman from
Euclid, second in the high jump (6-4), and Matt Kleinknecht, a sophomore from
Galion, third in the 800-meter run (1:57.07). Otterbein finished fourth in the distance medley (10:25.49). Members of the team were Kleinknecht, Ben Lehman, a senior from Westerville (South); Adam Walters, a senior from Circleville, and Jared French, a junior from Marengo (Sparta Highland). Otterbein is scheduled to compete in the Greater Columbus Championships Saturday at Kenyon.Walters Named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team Written June 01, 2006 by Craig Coleman WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein runner Adam Walters was named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country first team as selected by the College Sports Information Director’s of America (CoSIDA). He is now eligible for Academic All-America consideration. For Walters, a junior from Circleville (Circleville High School), this marked
the first time he has earned the award. The junior is majoring in life
science/secondary education. Walters holds the Otterbein indoor school record in the 1000 meters
(2:30.70), and recently finished fourth in the 3000-meter steeplechase (9:46.31)
at the 2006 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Outdoor Championships after placing
second to earn All-OAC honors in 2005. Academic All-District IV team members are selected through voting by CoSIDA,
a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals
for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. District IV
encompasses the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Sawicki Caps off Career in NCAA Steeplechase In only his fourth career attempt in
the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Sawicki placed 14th with a time of 9:35.88 last
Friday. It marked Sawicki’s sixth national appearance as he ran in the outdoor
championships last season along with two cross country and indoor national
appearances. Sawicki has earned four All-America
honors in his career by placing third in the 2004 cross country championships,
eighth in the 2005 outdoor 10,000-meter run, sixth in 2005 cross country
championships, and second in the 2006 indoor 5,000-meter run. He holds the second best times in
school history in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs, as well at the sixth best
time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Sawicki has also won seven individual OAC
titles in cross country and on the track. Cards Finish 5th at OAC Championships Written May 14, 2006 by Adam Walters The Otterbein men’s track and field team competed in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championships last weekend at Marietta College. The Cards scored 68 points to finish fifth. Mount Union College won the meet with 212 points. The Cardinals were once again led by senior All-American Mike Sawicki, from Ashtabula (Lakeside High School). On Friday, Sawicki won the 10,000-meter run in a time of 31:25.74, and came back Saturday to take the 3,000-meter steeplechase title in an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 9:15.64. Sawicki also placed third in the 5,000- meter run (15:13.15) to earn All-OAC honors in that event for the fourth straight year. Justin Rush, a sophomore from Cortland (Lakeview), ran 15.03 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles to place second and earn All-OAC honors for the second straight year. Rush also placed seventh in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.95 seconds. Rush was also a member of the sixth place 4x100-meter relay team, which finished in a time of 43.19 seconds. Other relay members included Jon Ross, a junior from Doylestown (Wadsworth), Ryan Whitmer, a freshman from Ridgedale, and Ryan Kennedy, a sophomore from Delaware (Hayes). Other high finishers in the meet included Adam Walters, a junior from Circleville, who placed fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a career best time of 9:46.31. Aaron Lahman, a junior from Bowling Green (Eastwood), finished fifth in the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 56.24 seconds. Walters and Lahman joined sophomore Jared French, from Marengo (Highland), and Matt Kleinknecht, a freshman from Galion, to place fourth in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 7:47.78. Kleinknecht also placed seventh in the 800-meter run in a personal best time of 1:56.02. French placed eighth in the 1,500-meter run in a time of 4:07.82. The 4x400-meter relay team that consisted of Ben Mouldenhauer, a sophomore from Walled Lake, MI (Lutheran Westland), Kleinknecht, Walters, and Lahman finished fifth in a time of 3:23.30. Freshman Adam Arnott, from Greenfield (McClain), also had an outstanding meet in the field events placing fourth in the javelin with a throw of 162-3, and sixth in the long jump with a leap of 21-5 3/4. Some members of the team will compete this Friday at the Baldwin Wallace NCAA last chance qualifier meet looking to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The field events will begin at noon.Cards Prep for OAC Championships Written May 9, 2006 by Adam Walters The Otterbein men’s track and field team competes this weekend in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Outdoor Championships, hosted by Marietta, and look to improve upon last year’s runner-up finish. The Cardinals are led by two All-Americans in Mike Sawicki, a senior from
Ashtabula (Lakeside High School), and Justin Rush, a sophomore from Cortland
(Lakeview). Sawicki is the two-time defending OAC champion in the 10,000-meter run and
has provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships to be held later this
year. Sawicki will go for his first 5000-meter title at the OAC Outdoor
Championships—which he earned All-OAC honors last year by finishing
third—and try to win the 3000-meter steeplechase where he holds the best time
in the conference this year. Joining Sawicki in the 3000-meter steeplechase is Adam Walters, a junior from
Circleville, who finished second in the event in 2005. Rush looks to improve upon his third-place finish from last year in the
110-meter high hurdles. The sophomore is coming off an impressive indoor season
where he won the 55-meter hurdles at the OAC Championships and earned
All-America honors. Rush will also compete in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Other Cardinals in scoring position include: junior Aaron Lahman, from
Bowling Green (Eastwood), in the 400-meter hurdles; freshman Eric Green, form
Bellefontaine, in the 10,000-meter run; freshman Tim Weaver, from Youngstown (Boardman),
in the 10,000-meter run; sophomore Jared French, from Marengo (Highland), in the
1500-meter run; and freshman Matt Kleinknecht, from Galion, in the 800-meter
run. Freshman Adam Arnott, from Greenfield (McClain), will look to score points in
multiple field events including the long jump, triple jump, and javelin.
Men's
Track Takes 2nd at Otterbein Invitational Wilmington finished first (78) with Muskingum taking third (37). The Cardinals had numerous first-place finishers. Bobby Fink, a junior from St. Clairsville (St. Clairsville High School), took first place in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:27.11. Sophomore Justin Rush, from Cortland (Lakeview), continued his winning ways by taking the 110-meter hurdle title in a time of 15.41 seconds, while freshman Matt Kleinknecht, from Galion, won the 3000-meter steeplechase in a time of 10:22.82. In the field events, junior Aaron Burch, from Fostoria, won the long jump with a leap of 5.71 meters. Freshman Adam Arnott, from Greenfield (McClain), won the triple jump in a distance of 12.22 meters, while sophomore Ethan Landau, from Circleville (Logan Elm), won the shot put with a throw of 40.40 meters. Juniors
Jon Ross, from Doylestown (Wadsworth), Adam Walters, from Circleville, Aaron
Lahman, from Bowling Green (Eastwood), and Kleinknecht teamed to win the 4 x
400-meter relays with a time of 3:27.12 seconds.
Men's
Track Finishes 4th at Kenyon Invite Event winners included Justin Rush, a sophomore from Cortland (Lakeview High School), in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.99 seconds; and senior Mike Sawicki, from Ashtabula (Lakeside), who won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a personal-best record time of 9:27.95 seconds. Runner-up finishes were turned in by junior Aaron Lahman, from Bowling Green (Eastwood), in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best record time of 56.70 seconds; sophomore Jared French, from Marengo (Highland), in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:58.51; and sophomore Paul Mason, from Dublin (Scioto), in the pole vault with a height of 13-6 1/4. The Otterbein men’s throw team competed at the Joe Banks Invitational, hosted by Ohio Northern, in Ada Friday. The men swept the shot put with Ethan Landau, a sophomore from Circleville (Logan Elm), leading the way with a toss of 44-04 1/4. Senior Trevan Davis, from Worthington (Kilbourne), and senior Scott Snyder, from Fostoria, finished second (44-04) and third (41-07 3/4). Landau also placed second in the discus with a toss of 124-06. The Cardinals return to action Wednesday at The Mid-Week Otterbein
Invitational with field events starting at 4 p.m. and running events starting at
5:00 p.m.
Sawicki
Wins 5K, 2nd in 1500 at All-Ohio The men’s track and field team competed at the D-III All-Ohio Championships Saturday, hosted in Delaware by Ohio Wesleyan University. The Cards took tenth out of twenty-one teams. Mount Union College won the meet, scoring 177 points. All-American Mike Sawicki, a senior from Ashtabula (Lakeside High School), led the team, winning the 5,000-meter run in 14:59.51. Sawicki also finished second in the 1500-meter run in a time of 4:00.59 while sophomore Jared French, from Marengo (Highland), finished fifth (4:03.18) in the event. Freshmen Eric Green, from Bellefontaine, and Tim Weaver, from Youngstown (Boardman), finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 10,000-meter run, turning in personal record times of 33:48.35 and 33:58.07. The 4x400-meter relay team ran a season-best time of 3:23.10 to place fifth. The relay team consisted of Jon Ross, a junior from Doylestown (Wadsworth); Matt Kleinknecht, a freshman from Galion; Aaron Lahman, a junior from Bowling Green (Eastwood); and Ben Moldenhauer, a sophomore from Walled Lake, Mich. (Lutheran Westland). The Cardinals next meet is this Saturday at Kenyon College.
Sawicki
Leads Cards at Marv Frye
Cards Runner-Up at OAC South Meet Sophomore Paul Mason (Dublin/Scioto) won the pole vault with a height of 4.11
meters, and junior Aaron Burch, from Fostoria, won the triple jump with a leap
of 12.62 meters. Senior All-American Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside) led a sweep of the
1500-meter run with a time of 4:05.93, barely edging out sophomore Jared French
(Marengo/Highland), who finished second in 4:05.94. Freshman Eric Green, from Bellefontaine, led a one-two punch in the 5000-meter run with a time of 15:50.9, while freshman Tim Weaver (Youngstown/Boardman) finished second in 16:20.9. Other runner-up finishers included: junior Bill Myers, from Fostoria, in the high jump (1.88 meters); freshman Chase Schneider, from Centerburg, in the 3000-meter steeplechase (10:30.75); sophomore Justin Rush (Courtland/Lakeview) in the 110-meter hurdles (15.32); and freshman Matt Kleinknecht, from Galion, in the 800-meter run (1:58.90). The Cardinals travel to Delaware Friday for the Marv Frye Invitational,
hosted by Ohio Wesleyan. Field events are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
Sawicki and Rush Earn All-America Honors Distance runner Mike Sawicki and hurdler Justin Rush earned All-America honors today at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. Sawicki, a senior from Ashtabula (Lakeside High School), finished second in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:37.49. Macharia Yuot, a senior from Widener University, won the event in 14:33.29. Rush, a sophomore from Cortland (Lakeview), finished fifth in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.77 seconds. He turned in the third fastest time, 7.61 seconds, in Friday’s preliminaries. Jonathan Garcia, a junior from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, won the event in 7.45 seconds.  The
top eight finishers in an event earn All-America honors.Otterbein went a perfect 4-for-4 today as its two women’s track athletes also earned All-America honors at the national meet. Kelli Peirano, a junior from Gahanna (Lincoln High School), finished fourth in the 55-meter hurdles (8.35 seconds), and Alysha Gossel, a junior from Lancaster, finished sixth in the pole vault (11-7 ¾). “I can’t believe it, and I saw it happen with my own eyes,” said
16th-year head coach Doug Welsh. “I’m proud of all of them.” What really impressed Welsh more than anything was that each student-athlete
was able to move up in the national rankings. None of the four was ranked higher
than seventh heading into the meet. For example, Sawicki was ranked eighth
coming in and finished second. Sawicki and Rush Head to NCAA's Written by Ed Syguda 03/09/06 Distance runner Mike Sawicki and hurdler Justin Rush have qualified for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships scheduled for Friday and Saturday at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. Sawicki, a senior from Ashtabula (Lakeside High School), will be making his second appearance in the 5,000 meters at the indoor national meet, finishing 10th in 2005. The distance runner, an All-American in the 10,000 meters and a two-time All-American in cross country, ranks eighth in NCAA Division III this season with a time of 14:39.60 in the 5,000. Rush, a sophomore from Cortland (Lakeview), is making his first appearance at the indoor NCAA meet, but did qualify outdoors in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing 16th in 2005. Fresh off an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) indoor title in the 55-meter hurdles, Rush ranks seventh in NCAA Division III with a time of 7.65 seconds. Preliminaries in the men’s 55-meter hurdles are scheduled for 6:20 p.m. (CST) Friday. The final is scheduled for 4:55 p.m. Saturday. The 5,000 is scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. Saturday. The top eight finishers in each event earn All-America honors.
Cardinals Place Fifth at OAC Indoor Championships Sixteenth-year head coach Doug Welsh was happy and pleased that the Cardinals
competed as hard as they did over the weekend. “The men did just about all they could do,” Welsh said. “We’re not
quite as experienced in a few events that we need to be, but our men competed
tremendously.” Senior Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside) placed first in the 5000-meter run
(14:46.90) and broke the OAC Indoor Track and Field Championship record of
14:51.30. Sophomore Justin Rush (Cortland/Lakeview) finished first in the
55-meter hurdles (7.81). “Sawicki is one of the great distance runners in the history of the OAC,”
Welsh said. “He’s a great Division III story because he was not highly
touted out of high school. He is a very competitive, bio-mechanically sound kid.
He’s been competing at the national level for three straight years now and
will be a great loss when he graduates.” Welsh was equally impressed with Rush’s accomplishments. “Rush is sitting about 7th or 8th in the nation in the 55-meter hurdles,”
Welsh said. “He has really developed. He’s gotten himself stronger and his
speed has improved. Justin is just having a tremendous season and has made
himself into a national caliber hurdler.” The Cardinal’s distance medley team of Sawicki, Adam Walters (Circleville),
Steven Beeley (Perrysburg/Eastwood), and Ben Lehman (Westerville/South) finished
third with a time of 10:11.51. Mount Union won the distance medley with a NCAA
automatic qualifying time of 10:00.83. Beeley and junior Jonathan Ross (Doylestown/Wadsworth) finished sixth (52.02)
and seventh (52.11) in the 400-meter dash, while junior Aaron Lahman (Bowling
Green/Eastwood) placed fifth in the 500-meter run with a time of 1:07.96. Walters also placed fifth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:57.73. Welsh added that the conference is very strong right now, especially in
events that the Cardinals lack some experience. After graduating All-American
Chris Swanson, it will take time for the Cardinals to develop the necessary
experience to place higher. But coach Welsh was happy with the team’s efforts and looks forward to next
weekend’s NCAA Indoor Championships and the outdoor season. “It’s not a matter of us being a fifth place type team,” Welsh said.
“When the men went out and competed as hard as they did, I have no
complaints.” Sawicki and Rush will represent Otterbein at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field
Championships scheduled for March 10-12 in St. Olaf, Minn.
Sawicki, Walters and Rush Lead Cards into OAC Championships Sawicki, a senior from Ashtabula (Lakeside High School), won the 5,000 meters
(15:08.66) last season and holds the best time (14:39.52) in the OAC this
season. His mark in the 5,000 is the seventh best in NCAA Division III this
year. The All-American also possesses the OAC’s second best time in the mile
run (4:15.52). Walters, a junior from Circleville, ranks among the conference leaders in the
500-, 800-, and 1,000-meter runs. The mid-distance runner sits second in the
1,000 (2:30.70), third in the 800 (1:57.36), and fourth in the 500 (1:07.46). Walters and Sawicki form one half of the Otterbein distance medley relay
team, which holds the second best time (10:14.26) in the conference this season.
Steven Beeley, a junior from Perrysburg (Eastwood), and Ben Lehman, a junior
from Westerville (South), round out the team. Otterbein is defending champion,
winning the medley in a time of 10:12.87 last season. Rush, a sophomore from Cortland (Lakeview), sits atop the OAC in the 55-meter
hurdles with a time of 7.65 seconds, the sixth fastest clocking in the nation
this season. The sprinter ranks seventh in the OAC in the 55-meter dash (6.61). Rush Named OAC Track Athlete of Week Written by Ed Syguda 02/14/06 Hurdler Justin Rush, a sophomore from Cortland (Lakeview High School), was named the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) men’s track athlete of the week, the OAC released Monday. Rush won the 55-meter hurdles in 7.67 at the All-Ohio held last Saturday at Ohio Northern. The 7.67 clocking is the best in the OAC this season and provisionally qualified him for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships scheduled for March 10-11 at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. Otterbein scored 43 points to finish fifth in the 18-team field. Mount Union won the meet with 106 points. The Cardinals visit Capital Saturday for the Greater Columbus Championships, which is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.OAC
Names Sawicki Athlete of the Week Sawicki took first place honors in the
3,000-meter run with a time of 8:43.17 and the 5,000-meter run with a time of
15:08.12. The senior is provisionally qualified for the NCAAs
in the 5,000 with a time of 14:39.60, which he ran at Kent State in December. Otterbein, scoring 91 points, finished third
behind meet winner Ohio Northern (108.5) and second place Mount Union (92). Ten
teams participated. Otterbein
Places Second at Cardinal Invite The Cardinals placed second out of six teams at the first scored meet of the
season last Saturday at home in the Clements Center. Cardinals
Finish Up at NCAA Championships Otterbein distance runner Mike Sawicki narrowly missed
earning his second All-America honor today at the NCAA Division III Outdoor
Track and Field Championships held at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Swanson
and Sawicki Earn All-America Honors Otterbein pole
vaulter Chris Swanson and distance runner Mike Sawicki earned All-America honors
today at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at
Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Swanson, a senior
from New Carlisle (Bethel High School), finished fifth in the pole vault with a
vault of 16-3 1/4. Brian DeLoriea, a senior from North Central College
(IL), won the event with a vault of 16-11. Sawicki, a junior
from Ashtabula (Lakeside High School), finished eighth in the 10,000-meter run
with a time of 30:54.21. Josh Moen, a senior from host Wartburg College
(IA), won the event in a time of 30:31.45. Gossel, a sophomore from Lancaster (Lancaster High School) finished 19th in the pole vault (11-0 3/4). Stephanie Barnes, a junior from Wisconsin-Eau Claire, won the event with a vault of 12-2 1/2. Yet to compete for Otterbein are high jumpers Bill Myers and Mike Perrine, and hurdler Justin Rush. The men’s high jump is set for 4 p.m. CDT Friday, with the men’s 110-meter hurdle preliminaries at 4:20 p.m. Sawicki will run the 5,000 meters at 3:55 p.m. on Saturday. Cards
Send Six to NCAA Championships Otterbein will send six student-athletes to the
NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships scheduled for Thursday
through Saturday at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. The qualifiers from Otterbein include Mike
Sawicki in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, Justin Rush in the 110-meter hurdles,
Chris Swanson and Alysha Gossel in the pole vault, and Mike Perrine and Bill
Myers in the high jump. Sawicki, a junior from Ashtabula (Lakeside High
School), heads into the meet with the season’s sixth best time in NCAA
Division III in the 5,000 meters (14:28.93) and seventh best time in the 10,000
meters (30:12.72). Sawicki finished
tenth in the 5,000 meters at the indoor national championships in 14:51.92. The men’s 10,000 meters is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. (CDT)
Thursday, with the men’s 5,000 meters set for 3:55 p.m. Saturday. Rush, a freshman from Cortland (Lakeview High
School), is making his first national meet appearance and was the final entrant
to the 110-meter hurdle field. His
time of 14.73 positions him seventeenth. Preliminaries
for the men’s 110-meter hurdles are scheduled for 4:20 p.m. Friday with the
finals set for 1:45 p.m. Saturday. Swanson, a senior from New Carlisle (Bethel
High School), enters the pole vault with the third best vault of 17 feet in NCAA
Division III this season. Swanson
already has two All-American honors to his credit. He won the national indoor
title with a vault of 17-5 1/2. The
men’s pole vault is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Thursday. Gossel, a sophomore from Lancaster (Lancaster
High School), is making her first national meet appearance and checks in with
the eleventh best vault, 12-0, in the field.
The women’s pole vault is scheduled for noon Thursday. Perrine, a senior from Lewis Center (Olentangy
High School), and Myers, a sophomore from Fostoria (Fostoria High School), enter
the championships tied for eleventh, each clearing 6-8 1/4 this season.
Myers earned All-American honors with a third-place finish (6-8 3/4)
during the indoor championships. Perrine
earned his invitation by setting a personal record last Friday at
Baldwin-Wallace. The men’s high
jump is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Friday. Cards
Place 2nd at OAC Championships The Otterbein men’s track and field team finished as runners-up at the Ohio
Athletic Conference (OAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships held last Friday
and Saturday at Mount Union College. The Cardinals tallied 100 points, finishing behind host Mount Union, with 175
points, and ahead of Ohio Northern, who finished third with 87 points . Otterbein had two individual champions--senior Chris Swanson in the pole
vault and junior Mike Sawicki in the 10,000 meters.
Swanson established a new meet record in the pole vault, soaring to 17 feet. The previous record was set by Chad Thomas of Muskingum, who
vaulted 16-4 in 1993. Swanson also finished fourth in the javelin (169-9). Sawicki edged teammate Nate Ritz by 3 seconds to win the 25-lap event in
31:59.55. Ritz finished the 10,000
meters in 32:02.59. The duo
finished an entire lap ahead of the third-place finisher. Sawicki also finished
third in the 5,000 meters (15:26.78) while Ritz followed in fourth place
(15:28.61). In the high jump, seniors Mike Perrine and Noah Kelley finished second (6-7)
and fourth (6-4), respectively. Sophomore Bill Myers finished seventh (6-4).
In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, sophomore Adam Walters finished as runner-up
(9:55.11). Freshman Gabe Deeds and
senior Justin Milam followed for third (10:03.46) and fourth (10:05.70) place,
respectively. Freshman Justin Rush finished third in the 110-meter hurdles with an NCAA-provisional
qualifying time of 14.73. His time
ranks him fourth on the Otterbein all-time list and among the top 20 in NCAA
Division III this season. Rush also
finished eighth in the 100 meters in 11.14. Senior John Staten finished sixth in the discus (146-0) and senior Rod Vedder
finished seventh in the 400-meter hurdles (56.94). Otterbein
athletes who are in position to qualify for the NCAA Championships will either
compete at Baldwin-Wallace or North Central (IL) May 20.
The NCAA Championships are set for May 26-28 at Wartburg College in
Waverly, Iowa. Swanson
Makes Mark at Penn Relays All-American Chris Swanson, a senior from New Carlisle (Bethel High School), continues to make school history, becoming the first student-athlete from Otterbein to compete in the prestigious Penn Relays and it comes as no surprise to head coach Doug Welsh. “I think it’s a credit to how hard Chris has worked and how far he has come in two years,” Welsh said. Swanson, who has been competing in the pole vault for just two years, finished in a tie for second place in the college championship flight at the 111th Penn Relays last Saturday in Philadelphia. Swanson cleared 16-10 3/4 in wet and windy weather conditions to finish in a second-place tie with Brian Mondschein, from Virginia Tech. Mark Johnson, from Coastal Carolina, won the event with a vault of 17-4 3/4. There were 12 competitors. Swanson, who won the 2005 NCAA Division III indoor title with a vault of 17-5 1/2, was more impressed with the crowd of 44,612 than his finish. “I would compare it to filling up the Horseshoe at Ohio State and jumping down there,” Swanson said. “I feel good about the experience, but I really wanted to win it.” Swanson said he felt he was clearing 18 feet in his earlier jumps, but, when the bar was raised to 17-4, he switched poles. In retrospective, Swanson said he might have done better had he kept using his original pole. “The
weather was not cooperative,” Welsh said. “I think his vault was pretty good
considering the weather conditions.” Cards
Place 2nd at D-III All-Ohio Otterbein finished second of 21 teams competing at the Division III All-Ohio
Championships Saturday afternoon at Ohio Wesleyan University. Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) rival Mount Union dominated the meet, totaling
126 points. Following the Purple
Raiders was a cluster of OAC schools, with the Cardinals taking the runner-up
spot with 76.5 points. Ohio
Northern finished third with 68.5 points and was followed by Capital, 66.5,
Wilmington, 63.5, Heidelberg, 63, and Baldwin-Wallace, 61. All ten OAC schools finished among the first eleven teams in the meet. The Cardinals had a total of five first-place finishes in the meet.
Sophomore Bill Myers was winner of the high jump (6-8 ¼) in an NCAA-provisional
qualifying mark, currently ranking him among the top ten in the nation.
Senior Chris Swanson was winner of the pole vault (16-2) and junior Mike
Sawicki was winner of the 5,000 meters (14:52.60), both narrowly missed setting
meet records in their respective events. Senior Nate Ritz successfully defended his 10,000 meters All-Ohio title
(31:51), winning the race by almost one minute.
Freshman Justin Rush was winner of the 110-meter hurdles in a
personal-best 14.95. Senior Mike Perrine finished fourth in the high jump (6-4) and senior John
Staten finished fourth in the discus (142-04). Otterbein
will compete at the Wilmington Invitational Saturday.
The OAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships are set for May 6-7 at
Mount Union College in Alliance. Cards
Place 3rd at Marv Frye Invitational The Otterbein men’s track and field team finished third of 16 teams at the
Marv Frye Invitational held at Ohio Wesleyan University last Friday. Otterbein totaled 81 points, finishing behind Ashland University, 165 points,
and the University of Findlay, 100 points. The Cardinals collected three first-place finishes and three third-place
finishes in the meet. Senior Chris Swanson was winner of the pole vault at 16-5 ¼, junior Mike
Sawicki was winner of the 5,000 meters in 15:06.71, and sophomore Adam Walters
was winner of the 1,500 meters in 4:02.54.
Sawicki also placed third in the 1,500 meters in 4:04.60. Freshman Justin Rush placed third in the 110-meter hurdles in a personal best
15.07 and senior Nate Ritz placed third in the 5,000 meters in a personal best
15:19.83. Otterbein will compete in the NCAA Division III All-Ohio Championships on
Saturday at Ohio Wesleyan University. The
Cardinals finished second to Mount Union in 2004.
The meet is set to begin at 9 a.m. The Cardinals have two student-athletes who are automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships, which will be hosted by Wartburg College May 26-28. Mike Sawicki is ranked second in the 10,000 meters (30:12.72) and Chris Swanson is leading the nation in the pole vault at 17 feet. Sawicki ran his time at North Carolina State over spring break and Swanson set his mark at Ohio Northern last week. Swanson
Wins NCAA Pole Vault Title Two-time All-American Chris Swanson won the pole vault today at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships held at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill. Swanson, a senior from New Carlisle (Bethel High School), cleared 17-5 1/2 on his second attempt to claim the title. Nick Pergande, a junior from Wisconsin-La Crosse, finished second with a vault of 17-1 1/2. For Swanson, however, the win was just a little bittersweet. “I’m really happy that I won, but disappointed that I didn’t get the height I wanted,” said Swanson, who has been competing in the pole vault for just two years. “I was shooting for the national meet record of 18-1.” Swanson, who finished second with a vault of 16-1 to national record holder Hans Schmidt (18-1) at the indoor championships last season, was surprised at the level of competition this time around. “16-1 was only good enough for eighth place today,” Swanson said. “There were still four guys left after the bar was raised to 17-1. I didn’t know what to think.” Swanson finished competition today after missing his attempts at 17-9 1/4, 2-3/4 inches higher than his personal best of 17-6 1/2. Swanson may have been a bit subdued about his win, but 15th-year head coach Doug Welsh was elated. “It’s a national champion,” Welsh said. “It’s hard to fathom.” Otterbein’s last national champion came in 1990 when Todd Calicoat won the outdoor shot put title (54-10).Myers
Jumps to All-America Honors Otterbein high jumper Bill Myers earned All-America honors today at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships held at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. Myers, a sophomore from Fostoria (Fostoria High School), tied for third in the high jump with a personal record jump of 6-8 3/4. Cale VanGenderen, a senior from Central College (IA), won the event with a jump of 6-11. Sawicki, a junior from Ashtabula (Lakeside High School), missed All-America status by two places, finishing 10th (14:51.92) in the 5,000-meter run. Macharia Yuot, a junior from Widener University (PA), won the event in a time of 14:34.72. Yet to compete for Otterbein is Chris Swanson, a senior from New Carlisle (Bethel High School). The All-American pole-vaulter is scheduled to begin competition, 10:30 a.m. CDT, Saturday. Swanson was named NCAA Division III Great Lakes Indoor Track Athlete of the
Year at a banquet held Thursday in conjunction with the NCAA Championships.
Heading into the meet, Swanson held the best vault (17-6 1/2)--by nearly a
foot--in NCAA Division III this season. He finished second (16-1 1/4) at the
indoor championships in 2004. Cards
Send Three to NCAA Championships The qualifiers from Otterbein include Chris Swanson, a senior from New Carlisle (Bethel High School), in the pole vault; Mike Sawicki, a junior from Ashtabula (Lakeside High School), in the 5,000-meter run; and Bill Myers, a sophomore from Fostoria, in the high jump. Heading into the meet, Swanson has the best vault (17-6 1/2)—by nearly a foot—in NCAA Division III this season. He finished second (16-1 1/4) at the indoor championships in 2004. Sawicki enters the championships with the tenth-best qualifying time in the 5,000 (14:39.23) while Myers checks in with the 11th best jump (6-8 1/4). The men’s high jump, 2:30 p.m., and men’s 5,000-meter run, 7:35 p.m., will be held Friday. Competition in the men’s pole vault begins 10:30 a.m. Saturday.Cards
Take Second at OAC Championships Otterbein finished second at the Ohio
Athletic Conference (OAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships held last
Friday and Saturday at Marietta College. The Cardinals totaled 88 points, edging Ohio Northern, who finished third, by
one-half point. Mount Union won the
meet with 149 points. Senior Chris Swanson, who won the men’s pole vault in a championship record
17-0 3/4 , was named the 2005 Bud Yoest Co-Most Outstanding Field Athlete. Junior Mike Sawicki won the 5,000 meters in 15:08.66 and placed fourth in the
1,500 meters in 4:03.03. Sawicki
teamed up with sophomores Aaron Lahman, Ben Lehman and Adam Walters to win the
distance medley relay in dramatic fashion.
Sawicki ran a blistering mile leg to catch and pass both Mount Union and
John Carroll for the win in a school record 10:12.87. Senior throwers Jeremy Sipes and John Staten turned in impressive
performances in the shot put. Both
bettered their personal records by more than two feet.
Sipes finished third (48-0) to earn All-OAC honors. Staten placed fifth
(47-2 1/2). Two other all-conference performances were turned in by freshman Justin Rush
in the 55-meter hurdles and senior Mike Perrine in the high jump.
Rush finished second in 7.91, and Perrine placed third with a jump of
6-6. Otterbein will send three track and field athletes to the NCAA Division III
Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend at Illinois Wesleyan
University in Bloomington, Ill. The
Cardinals will take some time off before heading south to Virginia to compete at
Virginia Commonwealth University and Roanoke College.
Race
for OAC Indoor Title Tightens This year could prove to be an especially tight race as Otterbein, Mount
Union and Ohio Northern all have legitimate chances to win the team title.
Earlier this season, Otterbein was winner of the OAC Relays, but finished
behind Mount Union and Ohio Northern at the Division III All-Ohio Championships. A season ago, the Cardinals won the the indoor title by just one-half point
over rival Mount Union, 143-142.5. The lone Otterbein individual champion returning from last season is senior
pole vaulter Chris Swanson, who leads NCAA Division III with the best vault,
17-6 1/2, this season. All-conference performances could be turned in from junior Mike Sawicki in
both the 1,500- and 5,000 meters; sophomore Adam Walters in the 1,500- and 800
meters; freshman Justin Rush in the 55-meter hurdles; and seniors Nate Ritz and
Bob Baers in the 5,000 meters. Both
sophomore Bill Myers and senior Mike Perrine have a shot to win the high jump.
Myers has the 11th best jump in NCAA Division III this season.
Senior Kris Cutler has opportunities for OAC honors in both the 55- and
300 meters. On Friday, the field events get underway at 2 p.m. and the running events
start at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, the
field events begin at 10 a.m. and the running events at 2 p.m. Cards
Roll at Greater Columbus Meet Otterbein won its second-consecutive Greater Columbus Division III
championship last Saturday. The Cardinals dominated the meet, scoring 204 points.
Runner-up Capital totaled 141, and was followed by Ohio Wesleyan, 113,
Wilmington, 83, Denison, 63, and Kenyon, 30 points. First-place finishes for Otterbein were turned in by freshman Justin Rush,
55-meter hurdles (7.85), sophomore Adam Walters, 1,500 meters (4:02.46), senior
Nate Ritz, 5,000 meters (15:24.48), sophomore Bill Myers, high jump (6-8), and
senior Jeremy Sipes, shot put (46-3 1/2). Otterbein also tallied five runner-up and five third-place finishes. Elsewhere over the weekend, junior
Mike Sawicki moved up the NCAA provisional-qualifying list to eighth as he
finished second in the 5,000 meters in a personal best and new school record
time of 14:39.23 at the DePauw (IN) Invitational.
At the Scarlet and Gray Invitational at Ohio State University, senior
Chris Swanson tied for first place in the pole vault with a jump of 17-0 3/4. He
remains atop the national rankings in the pole vault. The
Cardinals are scheduled to compete Friday at Marietta in a conference qualifier.
The Ohio Athetic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships follow March
4-5 at Marietta College. Cards
Set Two School at All-Ohio The Otterbein men’s track and field team finished third among 19 teams
competing in the Division III All-Ohio
Championships held Saturday at Ohio Northern University.
The Cardinals broke two school records, set two meet records, and turned
in two NCAA-qualifying performances. Otterbein totaled 78 points, finishing behind Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC)
foes Mount Union, 104 points, and Ohio Northern, 82 points. Senior Chris Swanson won the pole vault in a meet record and NCAA
automatic-qualifying mark of 17-1. He
ranks number one in the nation. Freshman Justin Rush improved his NCAA ranking as he finished second in the
55-meter hurdles, running a personal best and school record 7.70 in the
preliminary round. Sophomore Steve
Beeley won the 400 meters in 50.02, breaking Brandon Baker’s school record of
50.13 set in 2003. Sophomore Bill
Myers, currently ranked seventh in the nation, won the high jump in a set a meet
record 6-6. The Cardinals received two more runner-up performances from sophomore Adam
Walters in the 800 meters (1:58.55) and junior Mike Sawicki in the 1,500 meters
(4:01.81). Otterbein will compete in the Greater Columbus Championships at Denison
University this Saturday. The meet is set to begin at noon. Swanson
Qualifies for NCAA Meet Chris Swanson, a senior from New Carlisle, met the NCAA automatic qualifying standard in the pole vault with a jump of 17 feet at the Otterbein Invitational held Tuesday in the Clements Recreation Center. His mark of 17 feet ensures him a spot at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships scheduled for March 11-12 at Illinois Wesleyan. After missing attempts at 15-6, Swanson cleared his mind and made his way over the bar. Then after successfully clearing 17-0, he narrowly missed on his attempts at 17-6. Swanson not only established a new indoor personal best, he set a school and Clements Center record with his 17-0 jump. Swanson
and the rest of the Cardinals will be back in action Saturday, competing in the
Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Relays, which begin at 3:30 p.m. at Capital. Cards
Open '05 with Win at Capital Otterbein opened the 2005 indoor track season by winning the Crusader Invitational held at Capital University last Saturday. The Cardinals tallied 210 points,
finishing ahead of Capital, 155, Muskingum,
112, and Rio Grande, 44. Otterbein earned most of their
points from freshmen and sophomores. Sophomore distance runner Adam
Walters won both the 800 meters (2:02.00) and 1,500 meters (4:10.57) while
sophomore jumper Bill Myers won the high jump (6-4 3/4) and placed third in the
triple jump (40-9). Other event winners were freshman
Justin Rush in the 55-meter hurdles (8.05); sophomore Andrew Gernert in the
5,000 meters (18:29.71); freshman Gabe Deeds in the 1,000 meters (2:49.83); and
senior Jeremy Sipes in the shot put (42-9 1/2). Senior football standout Micheaux
Robinson, competing in his first year of track and field, finished second in
both the 55 meters (6.68) and long jump (20-10 3/4). Otterbein will host the Otterbein Invitational Saturday at the Clements Center. The meet is scheduled to begin at noon. Indoor
Season Begins at Capital The Otterbein men’s track and field team enters the indoor season as a contender in the pursuit of its third straight Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship. Last season, Otterbein edged rival Mount Union by one-half point, 143 to 142.5, to win the conference title. “We hope to be competitive again this year,” said Otterbein head coach Doug Welsh. “We have an experienced group, so it is important that our veteran athletes establish positive leadership and perform up to their abilities. That will be a major factor in how successful this team can be.” The Cardinals have three team captains who hope to lead a successful 2005 campaign. Senior Rod Vedder will lead the sprints; senior Chris Swanson, the field events; and junior Mike Sawicki, the distance events. A season ago, Swanson was runner-up in the pole vault at the NCAA Championships held at Wisconsin-Whitewater. This past cross country season, Sawicki placed third at the NCAA Championships at Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Both earned All-America honors. “The OAC will once again be strong and balanced on both the men’s and women’s sides,” Welsh said. “I see quality personnel and good coaching everywhere I look in the conference. I have no doubt that it will be an exciting year for OAC track and field in 2005.” Otterbein
will open the 2005 campaign at Capital Jan. 15, and then will host the Cardinal
Invitational on Jan. 22. Swanson
Heads to NCAA Championships Otterbein will send three track and field athletes to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships scheduled for Thursday through Saturday at Millikin University in Decatur, Ill. Competing are Kim Allen in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Erika Waickman in the discus throw, and Chris Swanson in the pole vault. Allen, a junior from Westerville (Westerville North High School), heads into the steeplechase with the fifth best time (10:45.85) in NCAA Division III this season. Allen, a three-time All-America, placed fourth (10:50.57) in this event in 2003. The women’s steeplechase is scheduled to be run at 5:05 p.m. Friday. Waickman, a senior from Mantua (Crestwood High School), sports the nation’s ninth-best throw (145-7) in the discus this season. She earned All-America honors in the shot put during the indoor season, finishing seventh (44-2 1/2) at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships held March 12-13 at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Competition in the women’s discus throw is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Friday. Swanson, a junior from New Carlisle (Bethel High School), heads into the nationals with the second-best vault (16-6) in NCAA Division III. Swanson, who has been competing in the pole vault for just one year, earned All-America honors during the indoor season with a second-place finish (16-1 1/4) at the national meet. The men’s pole vault is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Thursday.Cards
Win Second OAC Outdoor Title The Otterbein men’s track and field team picked up its second conference title this year, easily winning the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships held Friday and Saturday at Heidelberg College in Tiffin. Otterbein, under 14th-year head coach Doug Welsh, won the indoor conference title earlier this year at Capital University. This marked Otterbein’s second outdoor conference championship. The first came in 1990, coincidentally, also at Heidelberg. The Cardinals, scoring 163.5 points, dominated the major distance races. The squad tallied 59 of those points in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs. Mike Sawicki, a sophomore from Ashtabula (Lakeside High School), won the 10,000 meters (31:36.39) and finished second in the 5,000 meters (14:40.87). Luke Peters, a senior from Camden (Eaton), won the steeplechase (9:31.04) and placed second in the 10,000 (32:30.63). Otterbein also won the 4 x 800-meter relay in 7:48.57. The four members of the relay team were Ben Gadfield, a senior from Orrville, Aaron Mack, a senior from Elyria (Elyria Catholic), Ben Lehman, a freshman from Westerville (Westerville South), and Josh Fitzwater, a junior from Nashport (Tri-Valley). Rounding out the list of event winners was All-America Chris Swanson, a junior from New Carlisle (Bethel), who captured the pole vault (16-0 1/4). Following Otterbein in the ten-team field were Mount Union (124.75), Ohio Northern (107.50), Wilmington (96), Baldwin-Wallace (79), Capital (70), John Carroll (58), Heidelberg (44), Muskingum (30.75) and Marietta (4.5). Welsh, who also led the Otterbein women’s track and field team to the conference outdoor championship, was named both the men’s and women’s OAC Coach of the Year.Cards
Prep for Run at the OAC Outdoor Title During the indoor season, Otterbein edged rival Mount Union by a half-point to win the indoor championships. At last season’s outdoor championships, the Cardinals fell 35 points short of the team title. The Cardinals have yet to win both the indoor and outdoor titles in the same year. The outlook for this weekend’s championships is very optimistic, with many of the Cardinals ranked among the top five in their respective events. Junior All-America pole vaulter Chris Swanson, who holds the second-best vault in NCAA Division III, looks to win his first OAC outdoor title. Otterbein has three of the top-five ranked high jumpers in the conference—juniors Mike Perrine and Noah Kelley and freshman Bill Myers. Perrine is ranked 24th in the nation. In the distance races, the Cardinals are loaded. Senior Luke Peters, junior Nate Ritz and sophomore Mike Sawicki are scheduled to run the 10,000 meters Friday night. The trio are among the best distance runners in the conference. Peters will join senior Mike Cauley and juniors Justin Milam and Bob Baers in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday. The foursome all could certainly place among the first eight finishers. Ritz, Sawicki and Cauley will also compete in the 5,000-meter run. Senior Ben Gadfield and junior Josh Fitzwater will fight for the title in the 800 meters, and freshmen Ben Lehman and Aaron Lahman will look to provide some support. Senior team captain Aaron Mack is also in the running for a conference title in the 1,500 meters, and will be joined by freshman Adam Walters. In the sprints, Otterbein will run junior Kris Cutler and freshman Steve Beeley, both of whom could place in the 100 and 200 meters. Junior Rod Vedder will look for a conference title in the 400-meter hurdles. The relay races could provide the key to victory. Otterbein has the third-best times in the 400- and 1,600-meter relays, and could win the 3,200-meter relay. On Friday, the field events get underway at 1 p.m. and the running events start at 4:15 p.m. On Saturday, the field events begin at 10 a.m. and the running events at 1:25 p.m. Personal
Marks Fall at Jesse Owens Classic The Otterbein men’s track and field team competed in the Jesse Owens Classic last Friday and Saturday at The Ohio State University in Columbus. The meet was not scored and featured many of the nation’s top student-athletes. The Cardinals had two student-athletes meet NCAA-provisional marks, junior Chris Swanson in the pole vault and senior Luke Peters in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Swanson finished as the runner-up after clearing a school record 16-4 3/4, which ranks him second in NCAA Division III. Peters finished eighth in his race, running a new personal best, 9:18.18. He sits eleventh in NCAA Division III. Other notable performances included: junior Rod Vedder in the 400-meter hurdles (12th, 55.77), senior Ben Gadfield in the 800 meters (13th, 1:53.74), junior Josh Fitzwater in the 800 meters (15th, 1:54.56), and senior Mike Cauley in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (12th, 9:41.73). Gadfield just missed the NCAA-provisional qualifying standard for 800 meters, 1:53.60. Cards Compete at Wooster and Hillsdale The Otterbein men’s track and field team competed at the College of Wooster on Friday, while some of the long-distance runners competed at the Hillsdale “Gina” Relays Friday and Saturday in Hillsdale, Michigan. Both meets were not scored. The highlight for the men at Hillsdale came in the 5,000 meters, where sophomore Mike Sawicki ran the fourth fastest time in school history, clocking a new personal best of 14:52.50. He finished 25th in the field of 95. Junior Nate Ritz also garnered a new personal best in the 5,000, 15:21.20, which placed him 63rd. “The atmosphere of the meet was absolutely amazing,” Sawicki said. “There was just so much talent in every single race, which made for very fast times.” His time in the 5,000 just missed the NCAA provisional mark of 14:50. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, seniors Luke Peters and Mike Cauley finished 17th (9:32.50) and 23rd (9:40.50), respectively, and junior Justin Milam placed 31st (9:54.01). Fifty-two runners competed in the event. In the 800 meters, seniors Ben Gadfield and Aaron Mack finished 14th (1:54.02) and 15th (1:54.72), and junior Josh Fitzwater place 31st (1:57.30) in the field of 72 runners. At Wooster, freshmen Aaron Lahman and Adam Walters finished first (1:59.10) and second (1:59.61), respectively, in the 800 meters, and junior John Staten won the discus with a throw of 146-11. Junior Rod Vedder was runner-up in the 400-meter hurdles (56.69) and junior Mike Perrine was runner-up in the high jump (6-2). The Cardinals will host the Otterbein Mid-week Qualifier Wednesday beginning
at 4 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, then compete at the Jesse Owens Track and Field
Classic at The Ohio State University on Friday and Saturday in Columbus. Cards
Place Second at All-Ohio The Otterbein men’s track and field team finished as runners-up at the All-Ohio Track and Field Championships. The Cardinals finished just 10 points behind team champion Mount Union, 106 to 96, in the 20-team field. Three athletes brought home individuals titles--senior Luke Peters and juniors Chris Swanson and Nate Ritz. Peters won the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:49.23); Swanson won the pole vault in an NCAA-provisional mark of 16-1; and Ritz won the 10,000 meters (32:10.30). Swanson is currently ranked second in the pole vault in NCAA Division III. Three other athletes garnered runner-up performances: freshman Steve Beeley in the 200-meter dash (22.60), senior Mike Cauley in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:56.08), and sophomore Mike Sawicki in the 5,000 meters (15:24.12). Other top finishes were turned in by junior John Staten, third in the discus (142-0), junior Josh Fitzwater, third in the 800 meters (1:56.73), freshman Bill Myers, fourth in the high jump (6-4), senior Ben Gadfield, fourth in the 800 meters (1:57.15), and junior Justin Milam, fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:06.96). The Cardinals will send some student-athletes to Hillsdale (MI) College to compete in the Gina Relays Friday and Saturday while the rest of the team will compete at the Wooster Invitational on Friday. Cards
Win OAC South Meet Otterbein brought home the team championship from the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) South Meet held Saturday at Muskingum College. The Cardinals finished with 183.50 points, while runner-up Ohio Northern tallied 172 points in the six-team meet. Wilmington (145.50) finished third, followed by Capital (88), Muskingum (51) and Marietta (32). The Cardinals had five event winners, highlighted by junior Chris Swanson’s NCAA provisional-qualifying mark of 16 feet in the pole vault. Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) currently leads the nation with this mark. Other winners were junior John Staten (Galena/Olentangy), discus (152-04); senior Mike Cauley (Mechanicsburg), 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:12.34); sophomore Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside), 1,500 meters (4:09.19); and freshman Steve Beeley (Perrysburg/Eastwood), 100 meters (11.51). Otterbein
will travel to Ohio Wesleyan Friday to compete in the Marv Frye Invitational.
The meet is slated to start at noon. Swanson
Takes 2nd in Pole Vault at NCAA's Chris Swanson, a junior from New Carlisle (Bethel High School), finished second in the pole vault today at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Swanson vaulted 16-1 1/4 on his way to All-America honors. Hans Schmidt, from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, won the event in a meet record 18-1. Otterbein still has three other track athletes in competition: Kim Allen, a junior from Westerville (North High School), in the 800-meter run; Libby Hoffman, a freshman from Columbus (Whetstone High School), in the 55-meter hurdles; and Erika Waickman, a senior from Mantua (Crestwood High School), in the shot put. Preliminaries in the 800 and 55-meter hurdles will be run today with the finals on Saturday. The shot put finals are on Saturday as well.Cards
Send Four to NCAA Championships Otterbein will send four track athletes to the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Competing are Chris Swanson in the pole vault, Kim Allen in the 800-meter run, Libby Hoffman in the 55-meter hurdles, and Erika Waickman in the shot put. Swanson, a junior from New Carlisle (Bethel High School), heads into the nationals with the fourth-best vault (16-4) in NCAA Division III. The men’s pole vault is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Allen, a junior from Westerville (North High School), heads into the 800 meters with the fifth best time (2:15.58) in NCAA Division III. Allen earned All-America honors in the 800 meters with a eighth-place finish (2:19.56) at last year’s national meet. The preliminaries in the 800 are slated for Friday, 7:25 p.m., with the final on Saturday at 5:35 p.m. All times are Central. Hoffman, a freshman from Columbus (Whetstone High School), sits in a four-way tie for the 13th best time (8.46) in the nation in the 55-meter hurdles. She will compete Friday, 6:20 p.m., in the preliminaries. The final is scheduled for Saturday at 4:35 p.m. Waickman, a senior from Mantua (Crestwood High
School), sports the nation’s seventh-best throw (44-11) in the shot put this
season. Shot put competition begins at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Cards Repeat at OAC Indoor Championships The Otterbein men’s track and field team captured its second-straight conference indoor title by the slimmest of margins, edging Mount Union by one-half point at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships held at Capital University last Friday and Saturday. The Cardinals set school records in the pole vault (16-4) and 3,200-meter relay (7:48.26). The relay time was also an OAC record. Otterbein scored 143 points in the ten-team field and was followed by Mount Union (142.5), Wilmington (105.5), Ohio Northern (93), Baldwin-Wallace (46), Capital (44), John Carroll (28), Heidelberg (27), Marietta (16) and Muskingum (12). The squad captured four events headlined by Chris Swanson’s win in the pole vault. Swanson, a junior from New Carlisle (Bethel High School), sits fourth in NCAA Division III with his winning vault of 16-4. Other individual winners include Ben Gadfield in the 800-meter run (1:56.14), and Aaron Mack in the 1000-meter run (2:34.19). Gadfield, a senior from Orrville, and Mack, a senior from Elyria (Elyria Catholic High School), teamed up with Luke Peters, a senior from Camden (Edon High School), and Adam Walters, a freshman from Circleville, to capture the 3,200-meter relay in an OAC record time of 7:48.26. Mack also finished second in the 1,500-meter run (4:02.45) All told, Otterbein turned in 12 all-conference performances (finishing in the top three) at the meet. Otterbein heads into the outdoor season on a roll. The Cardinals captured the 2003 conference indoor title, and finished second in the race for the 2003 conference outdoor title.Cards
Seek to Defend OAC Indoor Title Otterbein will look to defend their Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship this weekend when they head to Capital University in Bexley for the indoor track championships. The Cardinals dominated the meet last year, outdistancing runner-up Mount Union by 56 points. Individually, the Cardinals return three conference champions. Carl Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel), recipient of the Bud Yoest Most Outstanding Field Athlete, returns after winning the high jump and triple jump, and finishing runner-up in the long jump at last season’s meet. Senior middle distance runners Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) and Ben Gadfield (Orrville) also return to defend their titles. Mack won both the 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters, while Gadfield won the 800 meters. Junior Chris Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) currently sits atop the conference pole vault rankings and has the fourth best vault in the nation. Sophomore Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside) is atop the conference 5,000 meters standings, and will look to help out Mack and senior Luke Peters (Camden/Eaton) in the 1,500 meters. Junior Josh Fitzwater (Zanesville/Tri-Valley), who was runner-up in the 800 meters last season, will look for a title in the 500 meters this season, and freshman Steve Beeley (Perrysburg/Eastwood) will look for a title in the 300 meters. On Friday, the field events get underway at 2 p.m. and the running events start at 5:20 p.m. On Saturday, the field events begin at 10 a.m. and the running events at 1:45 p.m. Otterbein
Wins Greater Columbus Otterbein brought home the team championship from the Greater Columbus Championships held Saturday in Westerville. The Cardinals finished with 207 points while runner-up Ohio Wesleyan totaled 153 points in the five-team meet. The Cardinals had a well-balanced attack, scoring points in just about every event. Junior Chris Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) broke his own school record in the pole vault, clearing 16 feet. His vault currently ranks him fifth in the nation and gives him an excellent opportunity to compete in the national meet. Freshman Jonathan Ross (Doylestown/Wadsworth) placed third in the 300 meters (36.34) and was runner-up in the 400 meters (51.68). Classmate Steve Beeley (Perrysburg/Eastwood) won the 300 meters in 35.96 seconds. Senior Luke Peters (Camden/Eaton) won the 1,000 meters (2:38.84) and was runner-up in the 1,500 meters (4:04.69), while sophomore Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside) placed third in the 1,000 meters (2:39.93) and fourth in the 1,500 meters (4:06.42). Otterbein will compete at Denison University on Friday. The meet is set to start at 5:30 p.m. The following week, the Cardinals look to defend their Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) indoor championship at Capital University. Otterbein
Takes Third at the All-Ohio In a very close meet, Ohio Northern edged Mount Union by one point, 82 to 81, for the team championship at the All-Ohio. The Cardinals finished eight points behind, scoring 74 points in the 17-team field. At the Purple and White Invitational, Otterbein came back in the last few events to top Capital by ten points in the eight-team invitational. Sophomore Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside) was the lone individual winner at the All-Ohio. He won the 5,000 meters in15:02.25, a personal best and just missing the NCAA provisional qualifying mark by seven seconds. Senior Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) was runner-up in the 1,500 meters (4:01.36) and senior Ben Gadfield (Orrville) placed third in the 800 meters (1:57.29). The 800-meter relay team of freshmen Jonathan Ross (Doylestown/Wadsworth) and Steve Beeley (Perrysburg/Eastwood) and juniors Scott Howard (Gahanna/Lincoln) and Kris Cutler (Sidney) finished as runners-up in a near school record time of 1:31.77. Junior Mike Perrine (Lewis Center/Olentangy) placed third in the high jump (1.88 meters) and junior Chris Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) placed third in the pole vault in an NCAA provisional mark of 4.65 meters. Swanson currently sits eleventh in the nation. The Cardinals will host the Greater Columbus Championships Saturday beginning at noon. Capital, Denison, Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan are scheduled to compete. Cards
Use Home Meet to Qualify for the OAC's The Otterbein men’s track and field team worked on qualifying for the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships when the Cardinals hosted the Otterbein Invitational last Friday in the Clements Recreation Center. Otterbein finished third in the six-team field. Ohio Northern, with 179 points, won the meet and was followed by Ashland (155), Otterbein (148), Capital (57.5), Muskingum (44) and Rio Grande (19.5). Junior Carl Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) won the triple jump (45-9), and was runner-up in the both the 55-meter hurdles (8.02) and high jump (6-4). Junior Mike Perrine (Lewis Center/Olentangy) placed third in the high jump (6-2) and freshman Matt Carpenter (Lebanon) placed third in the pole vault (13-6). Freshman Steven Beeley (Perrysburg/Eastwood) was runner-up in the 300 meters (36.00) and senior team captain Brandon Baker (Marysville) was runner-up in the 400 meters (50.76). In the 500 meters, Otterbein took the first, third and fourth places. Junior Josh Fitzwater (Zanesville/Tri-Valley) crossed the line first (1:07.26), and was followed by freshman Ben Lehman (Westerville/South) in 1:08.46 and junior Rod Vedder (Westerville/South) in 1:08.88. The Cardinals fared well in the mid-distance races as senior team captain Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) won the 1000 meters (2:36.26) and was runner-up in the 1500 meters (4:06.35). Senior Ben Gadfield (Orrville) was runner-up in the 800 meters (1:57.72), and senior Luke Peters (Camden/Eaton) placed third in the 1500 meters (4:07.14) and fifth in the 800 meters (1:59.83). Freshman Adam Walters (Circleville) placed fourth in the 1000 meters (2:36.89). Otterbein will compete at the Purple and White Invitational at Capital University on Friday and the NCAA Division III All-Ohio Championships on Saturday at Ohio Northern University. The meet Friday night starts at 5:30 p.m. and the All-Ohio Championships are slated to start at 11 a.m. Otterbein
Wins OAC Relays Otterbein won six events en route to winning the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Indoor Track and Field Relays Saturday at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea. The Cardinals tallied 113 total points, finishing just five points ahead of runner-up Ohio Northern. Mount Union took third (92.5), followed by Wilmington (76), Baldwin-Wallace (72), Heidelberg (60.5), Capital (55), Muskingum (46) Marietta (28) and John Carroll (27). Senior team captain Brandon Baker (Marysville) helped secure the title in a come-from-behind victory in the 4 x 400-meter relay (3:26.03). Baker teamed up with senior Ben Gadfield (Orrville) and freshmen Jonathon Ross (Doylestown/Wadsworth) and Ben Lehman (Westerville/South) to edge out Ohio Northern. Earlier in the meet, Lehman along with freshman Adam Walters (Circleville), senior Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) and junior Josh Fitzwater (Zanesville/Tri-Valley) won the 4 x 800-meter relay (8:02.96). Otterbein won both long distance races, the 5,000 and 3,000 meters. In the 5,000, sophomore Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside) and junior Nate Ritz (Millville/Talawanda) dominated the field, running first (15:35) and second (15:45), respectively, finishing 40 seconds ahead of the third-place runner. In the 3,000, senior Luke Peters (Camden/Eaton) won in 9:08 and senior Mike Cauley (Mechanicsburg) placed fifth in 9:21. The sprint medley relay team of Gadfield, Ross, junior Kris Cutler (Sidney), and freshman Steve Beeley (Perrysburg/Eastwood) took first place in 3:36.99. Juniors Carl Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) and Mike Perrine (Lewis Center/Olentangy) both tied for first place in the high jump (6-4). Swanson also won the triple jump (45-9 3/4) and was runner-up in the long jump (21-1 1/2). Junior Chris Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) tied for first place in the pole vault (14-6). Both the 4 x 200-meter relay team and distance medley relay team finished second. Otterbein will host the Otterbein Invitational Friday night at the Clements Recreation Center. The meet is set to start at 6 p.m. The
Cardinals are the defending OAC indoor track team champion and remain unbeaten
on the 2004 season. Cards
Open Indoor Season with Win at Capital Otterbein kicked off the 2004 indoor season with a first-place finish at the Crusader Invitational held Saturday at Capital University. The Cardinals totaled 223 points, finishing ahead of Wilmington (185.66), Wittenberg (136), Muskingum (118) and Capital (109.33). Junior Chris Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) was the highlight of the meet as he won the pole vault in an NCAA provisional-qualifying vault of 15-2 1/4 and setting an Otterbein indoor school record. Senior team captain Brandon Baker (Marysville) won the 500m in 1:05.75 and junior Josh Fitzwater (Zanesville/Tri-Valley) won the 800 meters in 2:05.70. Freshman Adam Walters (Circleville/Circleville) and sophomore Ben Patterson (Lancaster/Berne Union) finished first and second in the 1,000 meters, running 2:40.26 and 2:51.87, respectively. Freshman Ben Lehman (Westerville/South) won the 1,500 meters in 4:20.74 Junior Jeremy Sipes (Galion) won the shot put at 44-8. Otterbein took the first three spots in the high jump, which was won by junior Mike Perrine (Lewis Center/Olentangy) at 6-2. Junior Noah Kelley (Hilliard/Davidson) was runner-up at 5-10 and freshman William Meyers (Fostoria) placed third at 5-8. The Cardinals also took the top three spots in the 5,000 meters, which was won by sophomore Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside) in 15:28.39. Junior Nate Ritz (Millville/Talawanda) and senior Luke Peters (Camden/Eaton) followed in 15:43.02 and 15:45.84. The 400-meter relay team of Fitzwater, Walters, Lehman and Baker finished first with a time of 3:30.29. Last
season, Otterbein went undefeated during the indoor season and won an OAC
championship. The Cardinals will
host the Otterbein Invitational this Saturday at the Clements Recreation Center
in Westerville. The meet is set to
start at noon. Baker
& Mack Head to the NCAA Championships Juniors Brandon Baker (Marysville/Marysville) and Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria
Catholic) will represent the Cardinals at the NCAA D-III Outdoor Track and Field
Championships this week in Canton, New York. Baker, making his first NCAA meet appearance, is currently ranked sixth in
the 400m hurdles (52.30) and is coming off an OAC title in the same event.
Last season, Baker was ranked among the top ten, but could not compete
due to an illness. “I am really happy to be heading to the meet this year, especially after
what happened last year,” Baker said. “I
just hope to run a good race like I did at OAC’s.”
Baker broke the school record in the 400m hurdles at the OAC
Championships two weeks ago. Mack will also be making his first NCAA meet appearance, and is currently
ranked sixteenth in the 1500m run (3:53.82).
He was the last individual to qualify for the meet.
“I am so excited to be going to nationals,” Mack said.
“Being the last person to get into the race was kind of scary, but I am
really happy to be going.” "It's always a positive thing to have individuals in your program who
have a possible opportunity to compete at the national level," said
Otterbein head coach Doug Welsh. Baker and Mack will race their preliminaries Thursday afternoon at St.
Lawrence University, and will compete Saturday afternoon if they reach the
finals. Cards
Finish Second at OAC Championships Otterbein capped off one of its best seasons in school history with a runner-up performance at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships Saturday at Baldwin-Wallace in Berea. The Cardinals finished with 122 team points, while team champion Mount Union totaled 157 points. Baldwin-Wallace finished with 107 points for third place. Otterbein won four individual titles. Brandon Baker (Marysville/Marysville) won the 400m hurdles and broke the OAC championship record with a time of 52.30, automatically qualifying for the NCAA Division III Championships. Carl Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) finished first in the high jump (6-6). The 4x800m relay team of Josh Fitzwater (Nashport/Tri-Valley), Dan George (Orient/Westfall), Ben Gadfield (Orrville/Orville), and Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria) finished first with a school record time of 7:42.72. The 4x400m relay team of Robert Thompson (Gahanna/Lincoln), Gadfield, Mack, and Baker won in an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 3:17.22. Distance runner Luke Peters (Camden/Eaton) had an unfortunate incident in the 10,000-meter run Friday night and could not compete Saturday. He collapsed 20 meters from the finish line, well on his way to the title, but still managed to finish fifth. “I am really proud of this
team,” said head coach Doug Welsh. “To
go through this season with only three losses, win the indoor OAC title, win the
All-Ohio, win a number of invites, and finish second in the OAC. I
would say that is a successful season. If
you would have said in the beginning that we would only have three losses during
the whole year, we would have definitely taken it.” Cards Win All-Ohio by Slimmest of Margins Otterbein snuck past Mount Union by half a point to win the All-Ohio
Championships this past weekend at Ohio Wesleyan, 115 to 114.5, a meet that
featured 19 NCAA Division III Ohio schools.
Baldwin-Wallace finished third with 102.5 points. The Cardinals got wins from junior Ben Gadfield (Orrville/Orrville) in the
800m (1:54.34) and sophomore Carl Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) in the high jump
(6-4). Swanson also placed third in
the long jump (21-0 3/4) and triple jump (43-10 1/2).
Sophomores Mike Perrine (Lewis Center/Olentangy) and Noah Kelley
(Hilliard/Davidson) placed third (6-2) and sixth (6-0) in the high jump as well. Sophomore Josh Fitzwater (Nashport/Tri-Valley) out-kicked the competition to
finish just behind Gadfield in the 800m (1:55.33), beating his personal-best by
two seconds. “I saw a Mount guy
in from of me and I knew I just had to gun him down,” Fitzwater said.
“Getting a new personal best is rad and winning the All-Ohio is a big
bonus.” Junior Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) placed third in the 1500m
(4:01.50) and seventh in the 800m (1:57.02).
Juniors Luke Peters (Camden/Eaton) and Mike Cauley
(Mechanicsburg/Mechanicsburg) finished fourth (9:44) and fifth (9:54) in the
3000m steeplechase, and freshman Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside) placed fifth
in the 5000m (15:36). Sophomore Kris Cutler (Sidney/Sidney) placed fourth in the 100m (11.48) and
seventh in the 200m (22.99). Juniors
Robert Thompson (Gahanna/Lincoln) placed fifth in the 400m (50.36) and Brandon
Baker (Marysville/Marysville) placed fourth in the 400m hurdles (55.03).
Cutler, Thompson, Baker and Shaun Johnston (Worthington/Thomas
Worthington) combined to place fourth in the 4x100m relay (43.30). Gadfield, Mack, Thompson and Baker combined for an impressive runner-up
finish in the last event of the meet—the 4x400m relay (3:18.62)—that
provided the margin of victory for Otterbein. Sophomores Chris Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) and John Staten (Galena/Olentangy)
placed third in the javelin (168-02) and fourth in the discus (142-11). Otterbein is scheduled to host a pair of qualifiers Wednesday and Saturday in
Memorial Stadium. Ashland University will make an appearance Wednesday and Ohio
State University on Saturday.
Cards Place Third at Marv Frye Invitational Otterbein’s unbeaten streak finally came to an end. The Cardinals finished
third among 15 teams at the Marv Frye Invitational held last Friday at Ohio
Wesleyan. The Cardinals scored 106.5 points, trailing Baldwin-Wallace
(126.5) and Albion (125). The Cardinals won four events. Aaron
Mack (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) won the 800m (1:55.87), Luke Peters
(Camden/Eaton), the 3000m steeplechase (9:34), and Brandon Baker
(Marysville/Marysville), the 400m hurdles (54.71).
The 4x400m relay team of Baker, Mack, Ben Gadfield (Orrville/Orrville)
and Robert Thompson (Gahanna/Lincoln) finished first (3:20.52). In the 400m, Thompson finished fourth (50.74) and Gadfield finished sixth
(50.97). Junior Mike Cauley (Mechanicsburg/Mechanicsburg) and sophomore Justin Milam
(North Royalton/North Royalton) finished second (9:55) and fifth (10:12),
respectively, in the 3000m steeplechase. Freshman
Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside) finished sixth in the 1500m (4:10.65), and
sophomore Josh Fitzwater (Nashport/Tri-Valley) placed third in the 800m
(1:57.63). Sophomore Kris Cutler (Sidney/Sidney) placed third in the 200m (22.66) and
finished fifth in the 100m (11.25). The
4x100m relay team of Baker, Cutler, Thompson and Shawn Johnston
(Worthington/Thomas Worthington) placed third in 43.14.
In the field events, sophomores Mike Perrine (Lewis Center/Olentangy)
finished fifth in the high jump (6-1) and John Staten (Galena/Olentangy) was
runner-up in the discus (149-3). Senior
Craig Dyke (Frankfurt/Adena) finished fifth in the discus (146-9). Otterbein is scheduled to host the first day of the All-Ohio Friday beginning
at 6 p.m. The meet moves to Ohio Wesleyan Saturday.
Cards Win "Bud" Yoest Invitational Otterbein braved the frigid temperatures of the weekend and came away with
victory when they hosted the "Bud" Yoest Invitational here in
Westerville. The Cardinals tallied
up 211 total points, followed by Capital (179), Wooster (91) and Kenyon (67). Sophomores Kris Cutler (Sidney/Sidney) and John Staten (Galena/Olentangy),
and junior Luke Peters (Camden/Eaton) led the charge.
Cutler won both the 100m (11.26) and 200m (22.71), and had a leg in the
winning 4x100m relay team (43.96). Peters
won both the 5000m (16:05) and 1500m (4:11).
Staten won both the shot put (45-03) and discus (146-10). Sophomores Carl Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) and Mike Perrine (Lewis Center/Olentangy)
tied for first place in the high jump (6-0).
Swanson was a member of the 4x100m relay team that took first and Perrine
was a member of the 4x400m relay team that took first (3:39.9). “Despite the cold, I felt that everyone performed well and hung in there to
support the team when they needed it,” mentioned sophomore Rod Vedder
(Westerville/South) who was on the winning 4x400m relay team. Three Otterbein athletes competed at the Ohio State Relays in Columbus.
Juniors Ben Gadfield (Orrville/Orrville) placed fifth in the 800m
(1:59.86), Aaron Mack placed fifth in the 1500m (4:07.65) and Brandon Baker
(Marysville/Marysville) placed fourth in the 400m hurdles (56.41). The Cardinals will compete at the Marv Frye Invitational Friday at Ohio
Wesleyan before gearing up for the NCAA D-III All-Ohio Championships scheduled
to be held at Otterbein April 18 and Ohio Wesleyan April 19.
Cards Open Outdoor Season in South Carolina The Cardinals flew south to Myrtle Beach, S. C. to compete in an unscored
meet held at Coastal Carolina University. Teams
competing included Coastal Carolina, Princeton, Malone, Clarion, Morgan State,
and others. Junior team captain Brandon Baker (Marysville/Marysville) crossed the finish
line first in the 400m hurdles, running an NCAA provisional mark (53.47). Junior Ben Gadfield (Orrville/Orrville) placed fourth in the 800m (1:54.37)
and junior team captain Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) placed fourth in the
1500m (4:00.06). The 4x400m relay team of Baker, Gadfield, Mack and Robert Thompson
(Gahanna/Lincoln) finished fifth (3:22.00). Sophomore Mike Perrine (Lewis Center/Olentangy) finished fifth in the high
jump, leaping 6-02 1/4. “We had a pretty good opening outdoor meet with solid jumps throughout,”
said Perrine. “Noah (Kelley) and
I both qualified for the OAC meet, so now we can focus on getting better.” Cards Gear Up for NCAA Indoor Championships Three members of Otterbein’s track and field team have qualified to compete in the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships scheduled for Friday and Saturday at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. The three qualifiers include senior Markita May (Columbus/Hamilton Township), 55-meter hurdles; sophomore Kim Allen (Westerville/North), 800-meter run; and freshman Tyran Thompson (Middleton/Middleton), 55-meter dash. “It’s a real testament to the work ethic of our program,” said head coach Doug Welsh. “We are so proud of them. Their hard work, dedication and desire have put them in the championships.” May set the school-record in the 55-meter hurdles earlier this season with a time of 8.47 seconds. It is the tenth fastest time in the NCAA Division III this season. “It’s exciting to be able to compete at such a high level,” May said. “Being a senior, my goal was to make nationals, and to see all of my hard work pay off is really great.” Thompson, who won the individual Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) indoor titles in the 55m and the long jump this season, heads into the weekend with the nation’s sixth-fastest time in the 55m (6.41). Just a freshman, Thompson says he is not intimidated by the caliber of competition he will see at the championships. “I feel great,” Thompson said.” “There is absolutely no pressure on me. I am just going to go out and run my race. I am only a freshman and have nothing to lose. I’m just happy to be going and will enjoy it.” Allen ran the nation’s fourth-best time in the 800m (2:14.48c). She ran her way to OAC titles in the 1000- and 1500-meter runs this season. Allen attributes her success to working harder in the off-season. “I put in more miles and it has paid off for me,” Allen said. “It’s so exciting to go to the championships and see all your hard work get you somewhere. I just wish the whole team was going with us. I am actually kind of nervous to be going up against such elite competition. Hopefully, I can just shake off the nerves and run my race.” “What you have to realize is that each of these three athletes is team-oriented,” Welsh said. “Each of them has utilized every gift they have been given to the fullest. That is why they are able to compete at the national level. They are each special athletes. I am so happy for them.” May, Thompson and Allen helped Otterbein make school history as both the men’s and women’s teams won indoor titles at the OAC Championships. “I just want to go and have fun,” May said about the national meet. “One thing I have learned is that you’ve got to have fun. I’ve been having fun all year. It’s just an awesome feeling to be able to compete at the national level. I am so excited.” Otterbein Sends Three to NCAA'S (written by Ed Syguda 3/11/03) Three members of the Otterbein men’s and women’s track and field teams have qualified for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships scheduled for Friday and Saturday at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. The three competing are: Markita May, a senior from Columbus (Hamilton Township High School), in the 55-meter hurdles; Kim Allen, a sophomore from Westerville (North), in the 800-meter run; and Tyran Thompson, a freshman from Middletown, in the 55-meter dash. All three set school records in their event this season. Thompson, who won individual Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) indoor titles in the 55m and long jump this season, heads into the weekend with the nation’s sixth-fastest time in the 55m (6.41). Allen holds the nation’s fourth-best time in the 800m (2:14.48c). She took OAC indoor titles in the 1000- and 1500-meter runs this year. May is ranked tenth with a time of 8.47 in the hurdles. She finished second to Ohio Northern’s Jackie Dight at the conference meet. Otterbein made school history by winning both the men’s and women’s indoor titles at the OAC championships held Feb. 28 to March 1 at Baldwin-Wallace. Thirteenth-year head coach Doug Welsh, who coaches both the men’s and women’s teams, was named men’s and women’s “OAC Coach of the Year” for the indoor season.Cards win OAC Championship (written by Scott Rex 03/1/03) Otterbein’s men’s indoor track team claimed the 2003 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship Saturday afternoon at Baldwin-Wallace. The Cardinals racked up 154 team points. Mount Union was second with 98 points. Individually, Otterbein had a trio of double winners. Freshman Tyran Thompson (Middletown) won conference titles in the 55 meters and long jump, junior Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) won the 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters and sophomore Carl Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) won the high jump and triple jump. Junior Ben Gadfield (Orrville) added a conference championship in the 800 meters. Swanson was named the Bud Yoest Most Outstanding Field Athlete. In addition to his pair of conference titles, Swanson finished runner-up to Thompson in the long jump. Thirteenth-year head coach Doug Welsh was named OAC Coach of the Year for guiding both the men’s and women’s squads to conference titles. Cards
Prep for OAC Championships Otterbein has yet to win an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship in
indoor track and field. This
weekend is an opportunity to end the drought. “I feel one of our main strengths going into the meet is the experience of
our upper-class athletes,” said Otterbein head coach Doug Welsh. “It will be a very tough environment at B-W this weekend,
and it is a real plus to have veteran people who have been in tough situations
before to lead the team.” The veteran athletes Coach Welsh is referring to are members of the talented
junior class. Robert Thompson
(Gahanna/Lincoln) and Brandon Baker (Marysville/Marysville) take charge in the
sprints and short relays. Baker is
the defending champion in the 500m dash. Luke
Peters (Camden/Eaton), Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) and Ben Gadfield
(Orrville/Orrville) lead the way in the mid-distance events and long relays. The Cardinals will need help from the underclassmen in order to come home
with a team championship. Sophomore
Carl Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) will compete in the high jump, long jump, and
triple jump. He is the defending
champion in the triple jump. Freshman
Tyran Thompson (Middletown/Middletown) is sitting high in the OAC rankings in
the 55m dash and long jump. “It will be a monumental task at the OAC Championships, but I am sure our
teams will compete as hard as they can,” continued Welsh.
“I’ll be happy with that.” On Friday, the field events get underway at 2:30 p.m. and the running events
start at 5:20 p.m. On Saturday, the field events begin at 10 a.m. and the
running events at 1:45 p.m. Cards
Set Marks in 800m and 4 x 400m Relay Two school records fell at the Greater Columbus D-III Invitational held at
Denison Saturday. The unscored meet
featured six schools from the surrounding Columbus area:
Otterbein, Wilmington, Ohio Wesleyan, Capital, Denison and Kenyon.
Had the meet been scored, the Cardinals would have racked up 150
points, and Wilmington would have been runners-up with 106. Junior Ben Gadfield (Orrville/Orrville) was a part of both school records.
He finished second in the 800m (1:55.94), beating the old school record
by over a second. Gadfield then teamed up with juniors Robert Thompson
(Gahanna/Lincoln), Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) and Brandon Baker
(Marysville/Marysville) to win the 4 x 400m relay (3:24.44), knocking off more
than 3 seconds from the old record. “It is a good feeling to see that we are accomplishing the goals that we
set prior to the season,” Gadfield said.
“It just shows that the training we have done in the past few months is
beginning to pay off.” Mack also won the 1500m (4:00.67) in a new indoor personal best and Thompson
won the 300m (36.76). Sophomore Carl Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) continued his stellar season by
winning the high jump (6-4) and long jump (20-6 1/2), and placing second in the
triple jump (41-8 1/2). Freshman Tyran Thompson (Middletown/Middletown) continued his unbeaten streak
in the 55m (6.53) and remained on the brink of an NCAA provisional qualifying
time. Sophomore Kris Cutler (Sidney/Sidney) won the 200m dash (23.19) and sophomore
John Staten (Galena/Olentangy) won the shot put (46-5 1/5).
Freshman Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside) and sophomore Nate Ritz
(Millville/Talawanda) finished one, two in the 3000m, running 9:06 and 9:09,
respectively. The meet was a good tune-up in preparation for the Ohio Athletic Conference
Indoor Track and Field Championships, scheduled for this weekend at
Baldwin-Wallace. On Friday, the
field events get underway at 2:30 p.m. and the running events start at 5:20 p.m.
On Saturday, the field events begin at 10 a.m. and the running events at
1:45 p.m. “Overall, our team is sitting pretty well in the conference,” Gadfield
said. “If everyone does what they
are capable of doing, we should have a really good meet.” Swanson,
Thompson Lead Cards Otterbein hosted an unscored meet this past weekend in Westerville.
Teams competing were Mount Union, Rio Grande, Capital, and Marietta. Leading the way for the Cardinals were sophomore Carl Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) and freshman Tyran Thompson (Middletown/Middletown). Swanson won the high jump (6-4), and placed second in both the long jump
(20-1) and triple jump (41-3 3/4). Thompson
won the 55m dash (6.58), the long jump (21-1 1/2), and was a member of the
winning 4x200m relay team (1:34.14). Members on that team included Scott Harbage
(Gahanna/Lincoln), Kris Cutler (Sidney/Sidney), and Robert Thompson
(Gahanna/Lincoln). Thompson won the
300m (37.25). In the high jump, sophomores Chris Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) and Mike
Perrine (Lewis Center/Olentangy) tied for second place, each jumping 6-2 to
qualify for the OAC Championships. In the distance races, sophomore Josh Fitzwater (Nashport/Tri-Valley) won the
800m (2:00.82); freshman Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside) won the mile in a
personal best (4:32); and senior Dan George (Orient/Westfall) placed second in
the 1000m in a personal best (2:40.05). At the All-Ohio Championships held in Findlay, the Otterbein distance medley
relay team placed second (10:30.97). Members
of that team included Ben Gadfield (Orrville/Orrville), Aaron Mack
(Elyria/Elyria Catholic), Brandon Baker (Marysville/Marysville), and Luke Peters
(Camden/Eaton), all are juniors. Otterbein will compete at the Greater Columbus NCAA D-III Invitational this
Saturday at Denison. Cards
Win Otterbein Invitational Otterbein hosted and won their home invitational this past weekend, tallying
up 147.16 total points. Muskingum
(84.33) and Defiance (83.83) fought it out for second place.
Finishing the team standings were Wilmington (65), Denison (50), Ohio
Wesleyan (29.33), Capital (28.33), and Kenyon (27). Freshman Tyran Thompson (Middletown/Middletown) continued to remain on the
brink of the NCAA-DIII provisional barrier for 55 meters, winning the event in
6.52 seconds. The NCAA standard is
6.50, and Thompson’s personal best is 6.51.
He holds the second quickest time in the OAC this season. The high jumpers led Otterbein in scoring in the field events, powering their
way through the competition. Sophomore
Carl Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) won the event with a jump of 1.92 meters,
while classmates Noah Kelley (Hilliard/Davidson) and Mike Perrine (Lewis Center/Olentangy)
tied for second place at 1.87 meters. Much like the high jumpers, the middle-distance squad demonstrated their
dominance by finishing 1-4 in the 1000-meter run.
Junior Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) crossed the tape first in
2:35.87. Close behind were
classmates Ben Gadfield (Orrville/Orrville), Luke Peters (Camden/Eaton), and Dan
George (Orient/Westfall), finishing in 2:37.16, 2:39.64, and 2:42.11,
respectively. Mack and Gadfield
rank second and third in the OAC. In a race decided at the wire, the 4x400 meter relay team of Mack, Gadfield,
Rod Vedder (Westerville/South) and Robert Thompson (Gahanna/Lincoln)
barely edged Defiance by .01 seconds, finishing in 3:29.62. Junior team captain Brandon Baker (Marysville/Marysville) won the 300-meter
dash (35.94) at Otterbein on Friday, then placed 16th in the 400-meter dash
(50.13) at the Doug Raymond Invitational held at Kent State on Saturday.
Baker currently holds the fastest 300-meter time in the OAC. The Cardinals will host their final home meet of the indoor season this
Saturday. The meet gets underway at
the Clements Center at 4 p.m. Cards
Upend Host B-W in Sparky Adams At last years’ Sparky Adams Invite, Baldwin-Wallace pounded the Cardinals
by 34.5 points (157.5 to 123), capturing the team title.
That was last year. Otterbein outdistanced the Yellow Jackets by 22 points (163 to 141) en route
to the team title last Friday in Berea. Muskingum
finished third (98), followed by Wilmington (77) and John Carroll (2). “Although it’s still early in the season, progress was definitely made at
Baldwin-Wallace,” said Otterbein head coach Doug Welsh.
“Conference is in about a month, so we have some time to continue to
improve. I am really happy with the
efforts and performances from the field events and middle distance groups.”
The field events racked up 45 points, while the middle-distance crew rolled
up 72 points. “Sophomores John Staten (Galena/Olentangy) and Jeremy Sipes (Galion/Galion) did a great job for us, finishing second and third in the shot put. They both had big personal best throws,” said Otterbein assistant coach Ryan Borland. Staten (46-5 3/4) threw nearly two feet further than his previous best, and
Sipes (44-11) narrowly missed 45 feet. Juniors Brandon Baker (Marysville/Marysville), Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria
Catholic) and Luke Peters (Camden/Eaton) and sophomore Carl Swanson (New
Carlisle/Bethel) all had impressive doubles.
Baker won the 500m (1:06.99) and placed second in the 300m (36.56). Mack won the 1000m (2:40.82) and was runner-up in the 1500
(4:03.56). Peters was runner-up in
the 800m (2:02.46) and placed third in the 1500 (4:07.51).
Swanson was runner-up in both the high jump (6-2) and triple jump
(41-1/2) Freshman standout Tyran Thompson (Middletown/Middletown) remained undefeated
in both the 55m dash and long jump, running 6.51 for the third straight week,
and jumping 21-8 1/2. Junior Ben
Gadfield remained undefeated in the 800m (1:58.85) and freshman Mike Sawicki
(Ashtabula/Lakeside) remained undefeated as well in the 5000m (15:43). “This was a step forward in the right direction for both teams,” Welsh
added. The next step the Cardinals will take comes Friday when they host their own
invitational in the Clements Center. The
meet begins at 6 p.m. Teams
competing include Wilmington, Denison, Muskingum, Capital and Ohio Wesleyan. Cards
Win Six Events at Denison The Cardinals competed at a non-scored meet held at Denison University on
Saturday. Teams competing at the
Denison Lid-Lifter included Denison, Hiram, Kenyon, Marietta, Muskingum,
Oberlin, and Ohio Wesleyan. In the 1500m, junior Luke Peters (Camden/Eaton) claimed victory in 4:09.
Just behind him were freshman Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside), senior
Matt Suttle (Waynedale/Apple Creek) and junior Mike Cauley
(Mechanicsburg/Mechanicsburg), who finished second (4:13), fourth (4:15), and
fifth (4:25), respectively. In the 800m, junior Ben Gadfield (Orrville/Orrville) crossed the line first
in 1:57.99. Finishing right behind
him were junior team captains Brandon Baker (Marysville/Marysville) and Aaron
Mack (Elyria/Elyria Catholic), who placed third (1:58.41) and fourth (1:58.6),
respectively. Sophomores John Staten (Galena/Olentangy) and Jeremy Sipes (Galion/Galion)
combined for a one-two finish in the shot put for the second week in a row,
throwing 43-11 1/2 and 43-04 3/4, respectively. Freshman standout Tyran Thompson (Middletown/Middletown) won the 55m dash in
6.53 and placed third in the 200m (23.63).
Sophomore Kris Cutler (Sidney/Sidney) and junior Robert Thompson
(Gahanna/Lincoln) finished fourth and fifth in the 200m, running 24.00 and
24.11. Tyran and Robert then joined Dominick Mazza
(Worthington/Thomas Worthington) and Scott Harbage (Gahanna/Lincoln) to win the
4x200m relay in 1:37.42 Sophomore Carl Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) won the high jump (6-4) and
placed third in the long jump (19-10 1/4). Sophomore Rod Vedder (Westerville/South) finished fifth in the 400m (53.46)
and classmate Nate Ritz (Millville/Talawanda) finished fourth in the 3000m
(9:16). Otterbein will compete at the Sparky Adams Invitational this Friday at
Baldwin-Wallace. Cards
Win Inaugural Meet in the Clements Center Otterbein started off the 2003 indoor
campaign with a first-place team finish in the Otterbein Invitational, the first
meet held at the Clements Center. The
Cardinals rolled up 224.67 points, outdistancing Muskingum (172.33) and
Wittenberg (159). Junior team captain Brandon
Baker (Marysville/Marysville) won both the 300m and 500m, running 36.57 and
1:05.93. Freshman Tyran Thompson
(Middletown/Middletown) won the long jump in 21-11.50 and ran a near-national
provisional qualifying time (6.51) in the 55m dash prelims. Sophomores Jeremy Sipes (Galion/Galion) and
John Staten (Galena/Olentangy) combined for a 1-2 finish in the shot put,
throwing 44-09.5 and 43-03.75, respectively.
Sophomore Chris Swanson (New Carlisle/Bethel) took the high jump in 6
feet. Junior team captain Aaron Mack (Elyria/Elyria
Catholic) won the 1000m (2:42.48) and classmate Luke Peters (Camden/Eaton) won
the 1500m (4:16.83). Senior Dan
George (Westerville/Westfall) finished first in the 800m (2:05.32) and freshman
Mike Sawicki (Ashtabula/Lakeside) won the 5000m in 15:47.18. The Cardinals will compete
next at the Denison Lid Lifter meet Saturday, January 25.
Men Take Fifth Place at OAC Championships Otterbein's men's track and field team took fifth place at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships, held May 10-11 at Wilmington. Otterbein collected 94 team points. John Carroll took the team title with 125.5 points. Sophomore Ben Gadfield captured the conference championship in the 800 meters, crossing the line in 1:53.06. The 4x800 meter relay team of Gadfield, freshman Josh Fitzwater, sophomore Aaron Mack and sophomore Luke Peters claimed Otterbein's other first-place finish with a time of 7:44.96. Finishing second for the Cardinals were Mack, 1,500 meters, and Peters, 3,000 meter steeplechase. Taking third place were freshmen Carl Swanson, triple jump, and Chris Swanson, javelin.
All athletes finishing in the top three in their respective event earn All-OAC honors.
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Curbow finished the race in 7.75 seconds. William Brown, a sophomore from
Montclair State, won the event in an NCAA Division III season-best time of 7.39.
The top eight finishers in an event earn All-America honors.
