Men Win Championship; Women Fifth at Crimson & Gold Invite
The Heidelberg University men’s and women’s track and field teams had an impressive outing at the 2009 Crimson & Gold Invitational hosted by Oberlin College on February 6.
The invitational went into the wee hours of Saturday morning, but in the end the Heidelberg men outdistanced the field with 169.5 points to claim the team championship. Host Oberlin was second with 114 points followed by Edinboro University with 80 points. Rounding out the top-five was the College of Wooster (78.33) and Walsh University (77.33).
On the women’s side, Heidelberg compiled 67 points to stand fifth. Walsh won the invite with 144 points followed by Oberlin (119.5), Ursuline (106.5) and Wooster (73).
In four scored meets on the year, the Heidelberg men have finished in the top-five in every outing, while the women have on three occasions, all of which have came under the guidance of head coach Keith Roberts. Roberts is in his first season overseeing the Berg programs, as well as cross country.
Consistently putting together provisional qualifying marks for the 2009 NCAA Championships has been junior Julius Higginbotham (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria) and Friday was no exception. He won the 55-meter dash in 6.47 and overtook the long jump pit with a leap of 22’10”. He also teamed with Brett Meadows (Marysville, Ohio / Bellefontaine), Frank Krill (Edgerton, Ohio / Edgerton) and Josh Bowmar (Marengo, Ohio / Highland) to finish second in the 4x200-meter relay (1:34.43).
Meadows also excelled individually, winning the 300-meter dash in 37.43 and was third in the 55-meter dash (6.66).
Heidelberg’s sprinting core showcased its depth when it overtook the 400-meter dash field. Seth Robertson (Burton, Ohio / Newbury) was the first of six-straight ‘Berg sprinters to cross the finish line. Robertson won the race in 50.82.
Also claiming a title on the day was the 4x400-meter relay team. The relay consisted of Robertson, Terrence Horton (Pickerington, Ohio / Pickerington), Wes Hendricks (Beavercreek, Ohio / Beavercreek) and Childs. The team crossed the finish line in 3:25.24.
On the women’s side, Heidelberg came home with three championships. Angela Zellner (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) won the 400-meter dash in 1:01.41. Zellner teamed up with Shanice McLellan (Lima, Ohio / Lima Shawnee), Jazmine Shaw (Columbus, Ohio / Hamilton Township) and Judy Bataille (Felicity, Ohio / Felicity-Franklin) to race away with a first in the 4x400-meter relay (4:13.28).
Erica Tenwalde (Lima, Ohio / Lima Shawnee) made a statement amongst the distance runners. She won the 1,000-meter run in 3:17.75 and stood third in the mile run, crossing the finish line in 5:27.58.
Taking home runner-up honors was the 4x200-meter relay. Zellner, Tomika Brown (Bellefontaine, Ohio / Bellefontaine), McLellan and Bataille finished the relay in 1:49.42. Also standing second was Alexis Goodman (Tiffin, Ohio / Columbian) in the 55-meter dash (7.65).
For the second-straight outing, Brown ran a school record time in the 55-meter hurdles. A week ago she tied the school record of 8.90, but on Friday she has now inked her name alone at the top with a time of 8.78. Brown finished third in the field.
Finishing in the top-three in the long jump was Alison Marty (Amherst, Ohio / Amherst Steele). In her first time in the pit on the year, Marty leaped 15’6.75”.