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)
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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.
