Yeorunners sprint to success

Heading into last week's home meet against Case Western Reserve, Otterbein, John Carroll University, Heidelberg and Muskingum, most members of the Oberlin men's and women's running teams anticipated marked improvement and stronger finishes. For the most part, they were able to realize those goals, even if they came up shy of perfection.

The men's running team enjoyed a moderately successful, if not spectacular, meet, compensating for their lack of competitiors with hard work and a lot of heart. The team finished fifth in the 800 meter relay, as freshman Zach Rudisin and seniors Felix Brooks-Church, Gil Saenz and Sean Wesolowski combined forces to complete the race in a mere 1:37.49. For his part, Rudisin also enjoyed a strong finish in the 55 meter dash, placing third with a time of 6.69 seconds. Meanwhile, sophomore John Rogers scored one for the home crowd, winning the 3000 meter dash in an astonishing 8:57. In that very same event, team intern Max Rankenburg, who graduated last year, displayed his own team spirit and shocked the world by coming off the bench to run the race as an independent competitor.

When asked to describe the meet, Wesolowski was generally positive, if not completely satisfied. "We had a lot of students running in their first meet last week," he said. "But things should improve as things go on. Like all Oberlin sports, we need more people. But we have a lot of good runners, and if we can stay healthy, I think we can do very well." Although Wesolowski seemed optimistic about the future of the men's running team, he stressed that the upcoming meet at Baldwin Wallace will be an important indication of how strong the team could be. "We're close to the championships," he said. "We need to see who can help us in the relays."

As has been the case throughout the season, the women's team fared a little better. Senior Amie Ely, whose performances have been consistently strong all year, finished second in the long jump competition, the 55 meter hurdles and the 300 meter dash. Sophomore Elizabeth Chandler also enjoyed success, finishing fifth in the long jump and first in the 400 meter race, which she completed in 62.06 seconds. Chandler and Ely combined their efforts with junior runners Emily Lane and Nicole James for the most exciting part of the meet, the 800 meter relay. Last year, the Oberlin women set a new record in that event; this year, they did even better, setting an Oberlin Field House record with a time of 1:49.33.

"We ran really well," said Ely. "Even though we didn't win every race, our times enabled us to move up in the conference rankings, which is important." Sure enough, James, who finished third in the 55 meter dash, is now the top ranked runner in the NCAC for that event; meanwhile, Chandler's performance made her the third best runner in the conference for the 400 meter race.

Sophomore Jennifer Huelsman, who competed in the 3000 meter dash despite a nagging ankle injury, echoed Ely's sentiments. "The men and women did really well," she said. New people are stepping in there with the old and taking responsibility."

The men's and women's running teams hope to carry that kind of success and positivity into this Friday's Greater Cleveland Colleges meet at Baldwin Wallace. The festivities will begin at 6 p.m.