Yeorunners trample the comnpetition at Wooster

Ely breaks school and conference records in heptathalon

The Yeorunners ran against John Carroll, Wooster and Cuyahoga Community College last Friday. Many of the runners came in first place, while others still performed well. The weather for the meet was once again unfavorable because of cold winds. "The meet went well," head coach Tom Mulligan said. "It was another opportunity for this team to compete and prepare for the championship meet."

The Yeomen have been plagued this year with very little help in the way of competition, and placed third in the meet. Those who did show up were a significant benefit to the men's team. Senior Gil Saenz placed first for the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 55.8 seconds. "I've been consistent in the hurdle. The conditioning, form and technique of the race I think I have down. Now, I just have to get ready for the conference meet," Saenz said.

Sophomore Zachary Rudisin continued to perform well this year, finishing second in the 100 meter and 200 meter dash with times of 11.2 and 23.4 seconds.

The men's 4 by100 meter relay finished first with a time of 43.9; runners in this event were Rudisin, Saenz and seniors Demani Johnson and Sean Wesolowski.

"The men's relay team did very well. We've been working on their hand-offs and lane exchanges, and the results are showing," Mulligan said.

The Yeowomen did just as well, and finished in second place for the meet. First-year Nzinga Broussard has been making a name for herself in sports in her first year; she placed first in the 100 meter and 200 meter with times of 12.5 and 26.5. Broussard is ranked in first place in the conference for both the 100 meter and 200 meter races. Sophomore Elizabeth Chandler finished in second place in the 400 meter dash with a time of 61.74. Chandler is now ranked in seventh place in the conference for this event.

Junior Chamia Peterson placed first in the long jump with a jump of 16 feet. One Yeowoman who has been improving is first-year Apryl Wynn. Wynn won the triple jump with a jump of 30 feet 5 1/2 inches; she also placed second in the long jump with a jump of 15 feet 4 3/4 inches. "Apryl [Wynn] has been improving and she jumped well on Friday considering it was her first time in the long jump," commented head coach Mulligan.

The Yeowomen 4 by100 meter relay team ran well with a time of 51.5; they finished in first place for this event. The runners consisted of Broussard, Chandler, Peterson and junior Emily Lane. Even though these are not the usual runners in this event, the relay team ran well and, according to coach Mulligan, he was pleased.

Two of the Yeowomen runners who did not compete on Friday were junior Christiana Nwofor and senior Amie Ely. Ely was busy preparing for the Heptatholon and Decathlon meets that were held at Wittenburg on Saturday and Sunday, and Nwofor had academic responsibilities.

Ely raced and jumped her way into breaking conference and school records in the heptatholon, and first place for the event. The heptatholon consists of the 100 meter hurdles, 200 meter dash, 800 meter, shot put, javelin, high jump and long jump. The win also gave Ely the opportunity to compete in Nationals, which will be held in May at Baldwin-Wallace. Saenz also may have a chance to make it to nationals in the 400 meter hurdles; he only has one second to knock off.

"It's really exciting with all the work I've been doing. The work that I have been doing over the last three years," Ely said. When asked how she feels about nationals she responded by saying, "It's nice because I'll have a lot of support from team members and friends, and maybe faculty." Ely is the first women's outdoor qualifier

and track qualifier for nationals since 1990. She is also ranked sixth in the nation for the heptatholon.

Mulligan has not been the only major asset to the team in coaching this year. He has been aided by assistant coaches. Coach Deryl Nalle coaches the jumpers and throwers, coach Ann Marie Gilbert coaches the hurdles, and the short and middle distant runners, and coach Max Rankenburg coaches all the long distance runners. Of course, Tom Mulligan oversees it all.

The Yeorunners are now preparing for the NCAC Championship meet that will be held this weekend at Ohio Wesleyan. Many of the runners are still trying to qualify for nationals. The preliminaries for nationals will be held on May 20 and 21, and the finals will be held May 22.