SPORTS

Yeorunners rev up for conference tournament

by Rossiter Drake

Last Friday, the Oberlin men's and women's track and field teams traveled to Balwin-Wallace for the Greater Cleveland Colleges competition. As has been the case throughout the season, the women enjoyed a typically strong meet, burying their opponents in several events and improving their conference standing in the process. Meanwhile, the men struggled to keep the pace, displaying lots of heart and effort but ultimately failing to translate that energy into positive results.

For the second consecutive week, the women overwhelmed the competition in the 800 meter relay, as sophomore Elizabeth Chandler, juniors Christiana Nwofor and Emily Lane and senior Amie Ely combined forces for an impressive 1:50.40 finish, good for a first place finish. That time was approximately one second off their time from last week's meet at Oberlin, when the women set a Field House record with a time of 1:49.33. Ely, whose strong performances have become commonplace during this remarkable season, also won the long jump contest and placed third in the 55 meter hurdles.

But the Yeowomen did not stop there. Lane, Chandler, Ely and senior Cindy Lai dominated their opponents in the 1600 meter relay, winning the race in a mere 4:17.47. Meanwhile, Nwofor continued to enjoy a successful meet, placing fourth in the 55 meter dash and eighth in the 300 meter dash. Finally, sophomore Mary Margaret Towey finished sixth in the shot put competition.

"Last week's meet was better than the last couple of Greater Cleveland College meets," said Towey. "The sprint relay teams were not just way out ahead of the pack, but in another dimension.

"Many of us could have done better, but that's always the case. And a lot of people were working more on form and technique than results, with the conference championships just one week away. But because they are on a week away, everyone is starting to rev up into a higher gear. So the women should have a lot of top three finishes this week and a few personal records, too."

Lane echoed such sentiments, emphasizing that the women must work especially hard during the next week if they are to improve in the standings before the all-important championships. "The meet went great for me, but I only ran relays which we won," she said. "We need to get faster in the 4x400 to get a better seed at the conference meet. So I hope a lot of people come out and cheer."

For their part, the men endured a relatively disappointing meet, despite strong performances in the 800 meter relay and the 55 meter hurdles.

In the relay, first-year Zach Rudisin and seniors Felix Brooks-Church, Sean Wesolwski and Gil Saenz combined for a third place finish, improving upon their time from the previous week by completing the race in just 1:36.95. Saenz also enjoyed success in the individual competitions, carrying his positive attitude into the 55 meter hurdles competition. He completed the race in 8.68 seconds, which was good for fourth place. Junior Mark Sasaski also captured a sixth place finish in the pole vault contest. Unfortunately, those performances did not help to elevate the Yeomen in the conference standings.

"We have high goals for our last two meets of the season," said Saenz. "The 4x200 relay has been improving ever since early February. We have a legitimate shot at All-Conference if we perform well mentally. We have the speed, but we just need to execute with our hearts in it.

"I think I could have done better, a lot better. I ran the 55 hurdles, the 400 and the 4x200 relay. I am not running at my optimal level. But everyone on the team is working really hard, and it shows in practice. I know it will all pay off for us eventually."

Although the men's team did not enjoy the same level of success as their female counterparts, they will have a chance to make amends during this Friday's home meet. The men's and women's indoor track and field teams will be competing against Bethany, John Carroll, Mount Union and Westminster at 6 p.m.

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Copyright © 1998, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 127, Number 15, February 26, 1999

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