Track & Field Competes at Capital
Although competing in its first meet since the beginning of December, the Heidelberg College track and field team did not seem to take long to run the rust off. On the men’s side, Heidelberg claimed the team title with seven championships, while the Heidelberg women stood fourth, highlighted by three championships, as well as a NCAA Division III Championships provisional qualifier.
The men topped the seven team field with 172 points, outdistancing second place Otterbein College with 125.50 points. On the women’s side, Heidelberg recorded 106 points, while Roanoke College won the title with 194.50 points.
Leading the women’s team was sophomore sprinter Judy Bataille (Felicity, Ohio / Felicity-Franklin) with a first place finish in the 55-meter dash in a time of 7.26. Bataille’s time provisionally qualifies her for the NCAA Championships that will be held March 14-15, 2008 at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. It is the second-straight meet that Bataille has ran a provisionally qualifying time in the event. In December, at the Oiler Open, she crossed the finish line in 7.25, which also set a new Heidelberg record in the process. Her first place finish in the 55-meter dash is joined by a first in the 200-meter dash in 26.40, which marks a new Heidelberg record. Bataille topped the previous record of 26.94 set by current sprinter Angela Zellner (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) a year ago.
Heidelberg also claimed a championship in the 4x200-meter relay. The quartet of Colleen Nitchman (Wakeman, Ohio / Western Reserve), Zellner, Alexis Goodman (Tiffin, Ohio / Columbian) and Catie Evers (Burkettsville, Ohio / St. Henry) ran in 1:49.61. Running to a second was the 4x-400-meter relay team of Erica Tenwalde (Ada, Ohio / Lima Shawnee), Ninette Ruch (Toledo, Ohio / Notre Dame), Nitchman and Jamie Depinet (New Reigel, Ohio / New Reigel).
Adding support in the 200-meter dash was Depinet with a second in a time of 27.25, while Evers (28.02) stood fourth and Jocelyn Hughes (Oberlin, Ohio / Oberlin) (28.21) finished fifth. Depinet also took home runner-up honors in the 400-meter dash (1:01.53) and Evers (1:05.64) was fourth.
In the middle distances, Tenwalde paced the Heidelberg runners with a second in the 1,000-meter run in a time of 3:18.66. Wendy Sumser (Bellevue, Ohio / Bellevue) ran to a fourth in 3:33.74. Continuing where she left off on the cross country course was Ruch with a fifth in the 3,000-meter run (11:28.61).
The men’s team had five different runners bring home six individual championships, while the 4x400-meter relay team of Cory Beebe (Medina, Ohio / Cloverleaf), Wes Hendricks (Beavercreek, Ohio / Beavercreek), Mark Childs (New Albany, Ohio / New Albany) and Reed Wolverton (Van Wert, Ohio / Van Wert) brought home the seventh Heidelberg championship in a time of 3:24.88.
Beebe won the 400-meter dash in 51.48 and the 55-meter hurdles in 7.86 to lead the way for the Berg. Also finishing first was Hendricks in the 500-meter run (1:07.76), Lasch in the 1,000-meter run (2:35.88), Devin Butcher (Bowling Green, Ohio / Bowling Green) in the 3,000-meter run (9:07.65) and Julius Higginbothem (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria) in the long jump (22’0.25”).
Justin Zuchowski (Brunswick, Ohio / Brunswick) backed Beebe in the 400-meter dash with a second in 51.87, while the 4x200-meter relay team of Tyson Brown (Van Wert, Ohio / Van Wert), Paris Hilliard (Lorain, Ohio / Admiral King), Zuchowski and Mario Walton (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria) took home runner-up honors in 1:33.09.
Claiming a third place finish was Lasch in the 3,000-meter run (9:05.21), Childs in the 1,000-meter run (2:38.50) and Terrence Horton (Pickerington, Ohio / Pickerington) in the 300-meter dash (38.09) and in the 500-meter run (1:10.80).