'Berg Breezes by Competition at OAC Relays

It was an exciting weekend in Ada, Ohio for the Heidelberg College indoor track and field teams. The men finished in second place in the Ohio Athletic Conference Relays, a mere three points out of first, while the women showed with an impressive fifth place finish.

The men started things off a second place finish in the 55-meter dash relay. The team consisted of Paris Hilliard (Lorain, Ohio / Admiral King) (6.62), Julius Higginbotham (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria) (6.62), Tyson Brown (Van Wert, Ohio / Van Wert) (6.72), and Andrew Schwartz (Dearborn, Mich. / Dearborn) (6.88). They then placed first in five following events.

Scott Lasch (Huron, Ohio / Huron) (9:04.95), Devin Butcher (Bowling Green, Ohio / Bowling Green) (9:07.10), John Distler (Mentor, Ohio / Mentor) (9:11.51), and Jarrod Saling (Caldwell, Ohio / Caldwell) 99:25.75) teamed up to top the competition in the 3000-meter run relay, whereas Hilliard, Higginbotham, Cory Beebe (Medina, Ohio / Cloverleaf), and Wes Hendricks (Hillsboro, Ohio / Hillsboro) combined for a time of 1:31.72 and a first place nod in the 4x200-meter relay. For the top place 4x400 quartet, Beebe, Hendricks, Mark Childs (New Albany, Ohio / Ashland), and Justin Zuchowski (Brunswick, Ohio / Brunswich) posted a time of 3:23.14, while Eric Holbrook (Circleville, Ohio / Logan Elm), Reed Wolverton (Van Wert, Ohio / Van Wert), Nick Reinhart (Bascom, Ohio / Hopewell Loudon), and Zac Sendelbach (New London, Ohio / New London) won the 4x800 with a 8:02.92 mark. The Student Princes also earned a top place finish in the 1600 sprint medley, run by Hilliard, Beebe, Zuchowski, and Sendelbach in a time of 3:37.90.

Second place finishes were earned in the distance medley and the triple jump relay also for the men. The distance medley team was composed of Childs, Zuchowsi, Sendelbach, and Lasch and recorded a time of 10:23.85. In the triple jump relay, Higginbotham (12.90), Adam Bumb (Alvada, Ohio / New Riegel) (12.10), and Mario Walton (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria) (11.64) teamed up. The men also placed third in the long jump relay thanks to performances by Higginbotham (6.74), Walton (5.74), Bumb (5.56), and Hilliard (5.47).

The women ran their way to three first place finishes and one second place standing during the competition. Judy Bataille (Felicity, Ohio / Felicity-Franklin) (7.17), Colleen Nitchman (Wakeman, Ohio / Western Reserve) (7.65), and Alexis Goodman (Tiffin, Ohio / Columbian) (7.72) won the team first place bragging rights in the 55-meter dash relay, meanwhile Bataille and Nitchman later teamed up with Angela Zellner (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) and Catie Evers (Burkettsville, Ohio / St. Henry) for another first place finish in the 4x200-meter relay in a combined time of 1:46.87. For the team’s top finish in the 4x400 relay, Zellner, Bataille, Evers, and Jamie Depinet (New Riegel, Ohio / New Riegel) posted a time of 4:08.36. The same women also teamed up for the 1600 sprint medley, coming in second in a time of 4:25.72.

Bataille's time of 7.17 in the 55-meter dash topped her own school record of 7.25 and also was a provisional qualifying time for the 2008 NCAA Championships. Also setting new school records was the 4x200-meter relay team and the sprint medley quartet.

Heidelberg races next at the Mount Union Invite in Alliance, Ohio on Saturday, February 9. The gun will sound at 10:30 a.m.