Competition Will be Stiff For Track Championships
Track�s Real Test Begins Tomorrow at Ohio Wesleyan
BY BRIAN PITTS

Having snacked on the hors d�oeuvres of the non-scoring part of their schedule, Oberlin�s track and field team is preparing to feast on the main course � top Division III competition in the NCAC and other schools in Ohio. 

Oberlin chows down the first dish of a three-week buffet of top competition tomorrow at the All-Ohio Division III meet at Ohio Wesleyan University.
The All-Ohio meet is Oberlin�s first major contest of the season. The team is fine-tuning for the Baldwin-Wallace meet that features talent from Divisions I, II and III, and, ultimately, for the NCAC Championships that will be held in two weeks.

(photo by Brad Coryell)

The All-Ohio meet offers Oberlin stiff competition and lots of it. Eighteen schools will compete tomorrow in this qualifying-meet, which ensures that only the best of the best participate.

That number of opponents contrasts starkly with last week�s Oberlin Invitational. Only Wooster�s squad and 10 men from Hiram showed, leaving many Obies to run and jump against empty lanes and pits.
Tomorrow�s atmosphere is certain to be thick with serious challengers. Junior co-captain Daniel Blackburn, who is throwing the discus and shot-put tomorrow, asserted that he is ready to rumble. �Guys come out with a chip on their shoulder and think, �I�m the big shit.� My plan is to go out there and show them that they�re not,� Blackburn said.
Amber Coleman, a first-year sprinter, has never experienced a raucous atmosphere on the track. Yet, she expects to be pushed by serious competition � individuals who run to win, and not just people seeking an exercise program. 

Coleman said, �People will really be serious. [I�m expecting] some hardcore, nervous, straight-faced, serious-minded people saying, �I�m ready to do this.�� Sophomore sprinter and jumper Steffon Thomas also appears pumped for tomorrow�s contest. �It should be fun. It will be a feverish atmosphere. I�m pretty excited about it,� Thomas said.

Head Coach Tom Mulligan wants his team to contend with that type of enthusiasm as the season heads toward the NCAC Championships. �I want to see people step up to the challenge of that type of atmosphere; to be physically and mentally attuned to compete. Go down and compete.
�We�ve got talent. Now go down and compete. As a group, go down and take care of business.�
Many of Oberlin�s athletes say they prepare for an important meet by focusing on improving their technique. Hopefully, that translates into better performance. This week provides a great opportunity to see how they measure against conference foes. Zachary Rudisin, a four-year track athlete, said, �It�s definitely a great test to see where you are.�
Maintaining good health is also an important factor in performing optimally. Most of Oberlin�s squad members will travel to Ohio Wesleyan tomorrow, battling through soreness and minor injuries.
Jabari Spruill, a senior jumper, and Apryl Wynn, a junior sprinter, hurdler and jumper, are two notables who will not compete tomorrow. Spruill said he suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain, the least serious of this type of injury, at the Oberlin Invitational. Coach Mulligan said he hopes to know more about Spruill�s condition by the middle of next week.

Mulligan said Wynn, �is not feeling well.� She has been doing light conditioning and practicing, according to Mulligan, and expects to compete in the NCAC Championships.