Yeorunners chase glory at Philips gymnasium

Track teams run with competition, with varying degrees of success

Spring semester is here, and that can only mean one thing: the triumphant return of the men's and women's indoor track teams who, in the coming months, will almost certainly run over the competition in pursuit of glory, good times and a few cups of water.

Although the men's team has been plagued in recent weeks by the absence of several vacation-minded runners, the future remains bright. During a Feb. 5 meet at the Case Western Reserve Invitational, the Yeomen managed to secure a second-place finish in 800 meter relay, with senior Sean Wesolowski completing the race in an astonishing 23.5 seconds. Although the men did not fare as well in other events, their lot will improve with the return of several competitors. "Right now we're few in numbers and we've been getting manhandled as a result," said first year Dan Blackburn. "We need to do the best with what we've got and we need to do a lot better." For his part, Wesolowski offered a more optimistic view of the future. "Things should be going better," he said. "I would like for everyone to come out and support the team today. I think we'll put on a good show for everyone, and I think a lot of people will be suprised at how good we are."

While the men seek renewed strength in numbers, the women's track team has fared quite well during the Winter Term. At Case Western, the Yeowomen finished first in the 800 meter relay, as sophomore Elizabeth Chandler, juniors Emily Lane and Nicole James and senior Amie Ely combined for an remarkable 1:49.2 finish. Ely, who was recently named NCAC track runner of the week, also captured the top spot in 55 meter hurdles competition, completing the race in a mere 8.9 seconds. She is ranked second in the conference at that event, averaging a 9.14 second time. As a team, the women runners are equally impressive, ranked first in the league in the 4x200 dash.

"Things have gone really well for us," Lane said. "We should be pretty competitive at the Friday meet. We don't have many distance runners, but I think we'll do really well this year." James echoed such optimistic sentiments, but expressed dismay at the recent loss of coach Ernest Wilson. "So far, we've done pretty well," she said, "but the downfall is that we don't really have a sprint coach. As a senior, it's really frustrating that [the administration] is not scurrying to find a replacement. Obviously, we expect a lot of success, but it weighs on the morale of the team to not have a sprint coach," James said.

The Oberlin indoor track teams have their next meet today. Their competition will include teams from Case Western Reserve, Heidelberg, Muskingum, John Carroll and Otterbein. Field events will begin at 6 p.m. followed by running at 7:45. Good times will be had by all.