Home Meet Gives Opportunity For Improvement
by Brian Pitts

For a team holding little statistical reason to give a damn, Oberlin’s track and field athletes gave a lot.
While Oberlin rested many of its top performers in anticipation of this weekend’s Indoor NCAC Championship meet, Oberlin whipped up home  cooking last Friday at this last-chance warm-up meet at Heisman Field House, stealing surprising first-place finishes in women’s and men’s jumping events and winning the men’s and women’s 4x200m relays and the women’s 4x400m relay.
The team, spirited by a rowdy and enthusiastic home crowd, approached this warm-up with part happy-go-lucky and part cut-the-throats-of-the-challengers attitude. 
Admittedly, the numerical results of the meet are irrelevant compared to the NCAC Championship outcome. However, the young group performed excellently last weekend. Across the board, athletes improved upon early season marks. 
Head Coach Tom Mulligan said, “This was not the most important meet, but it was an important opportunity to get better and get some experience. It’s important that we get better in practice and compete and get better. Every meet has its importance.”
Senior jumper Jabari Spruill got better in a hurry. Spruill, a four-year starter for the football team, oiled himself free of six years of rust from not competing in the long jump to earn first place at a distance of 20’11”. The distance would have earned a first and second place finish at Oberlin’s previous two meets. 
Spruill’s technique, which was in question before the meet, sustained the pressure of his first meet since he was a junior in high school in South Carolina, when he happened to win the state championship. Coach Gavin O’Neal said Spruill would focus on sharpening his mechanics and timing. 
“Jabari can do anything he wants. It’s fine-tuning now. Now it’s consistency in the jumps. There are no expectations,” O’Neal said.
Spruill, who also competed in the triple jump, was confident going into the meet, despite only two weeks of preparation. He never doubted the outcome — everyone else would fight over second place.
He said, “It’s me against myself. I always expect to win. Everyone else is insignificant. They don’t matter. It’s all about me.”
Spruill was forced to share ‘beginner’s luck’ bragging rights with senior Liz Chandler. Chandler, usually a long jumper for the women, tried the triple jump for the first time in her life and pulled out a victory. 
Chandler’s winning jump was no fluke. Her jump of 34’8.5” outdistanced her closest opponent’s mark by more than 18”. The jump would have earned Chandler first and third places in Oberlin’s previous two meets. Chandler, seemingly shocked at her performance, said, “I was nervous. But I look to be competitive [this weekend].”
The triple jump only started Chandler’s evening. She anchored Oberlin’s first-place 4x400m relay squad. The squad utilized first-year Vicki Alla’s catch-up speed as the third runner to earn a comeback victory. 
Although the relay squad clocked a time of four minutes, 28.5 seconds, the runners agreed they need to boost up the turbo jets for this weekend’s tough competition, such as Allegheny and Denison. 
However, the squad is confident they will perform well with fresh legs under the pressure at the NCAC Championship. 

Alla said, “Being in a big meet helps you run faster. This is an important meet because it tells how you’re going to run next week.” 
Junior Apryl Wynn placed second in the 55m hurdles with a sub-9 second time. She was pleased by cracking the nine seconds threshold, but notes that she can improve further, aiming for a time of less than 8.8 seconds. Wynn said, “I had a bad start. The start makes a huge difference in a race of this distance. I have had a lot of improvement in this race and I’m optimistic regarding [this] weekend.”

Wynn, one of Oberlin’s top jumpers, rested from leapfrogging last Friday, along with first-years Shannon Houlihan and Faye Doherty. All, including Chandler, plan to compete this weekend. Wynn set an Oberlin long jump record two weeks ago with a distance of 17’5.5”.
Junior Andre Street led the men’s relay squads to wins in the 4x200m and 4x400m. Between those performances, he sandwiched a blistering 400m single time of 50.7 seconds. He is aiming for a sub-50 second time.
Coach Gavin O’Neal, referring to Street, said, “Andre is ready to run a 49. He ran his best [single] race yet and it carried over into the relay. The focus was just there and he went after it.”
First-year Quammie Semper anchored the winning 4x200m team. He said the team’s performance was the best of the season and is confident for the conference meet.

Semper said, “I see us contending. [NCAC competition] Hiram was here, Wooster and Allegheny. We’ll keep working and stay fresh.”

Oberlin hopes to end the indoor season strong, looking toward a high-level outdoor season. The team is highly focused on being a major player in conference play this spring. But finishing the Indoor NCAC Championship is first priority.
Head Coach Mulligan said, regarding this weekend, “Look for us to be competitive. You always go to win. You make people beat you.”