The Oberlin outdoor track and field teams participated in the all-Ohio meet at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, April 18 and 19. The women came away with a third place finish out of 19 teams while the men placed 16th.

Otterbein College won the men’s meet with 115 points. Oberlin’s 11 points placed them ahead of fellow NCAC schools Hiram and Denison, as well as Marietta College.

On the women’s side, Otterbein also captured state bragging rights, winning the meet with 116 points and edging runner-up Baldwin-Wallace College by two. Oberlin finished with 78 points.

Small in number, the Yeomen and Yeowomen found themselves facing teams with many more athletes, especially since the all-Ohio meet involves practically every Division III college and university in the state.

Women’s team members considered their third-place finish all the more impressive given that most teams had triple their 13 team members.

“It shows how thoroughly talented our team is,” junior Leslie Bosworth said, “and how much heart we have.”

The women broke quite a few school records in the process.

Senior Kyle McKenzie surpassed her own record in the steeplechase, finishing fourth at the meet with a time of 11:45.57.

Senior Lori Tuchfield broke the school record in the 1500m with a time of 4:44.47, enough for second place. She also managed to place third in the 500m in 18:38.59. The combination of these performances earned her NCAC runner of the week honors in the middle distance/distance category, the fifth time an Oberlin track team member has been selected this season.

Junior Emily Enderle broke both the school record and the meet record in the javelin throw, tossing for 40.3m and first place.

Senior Courtney Stackhouse captured the Yeowomen’s only other first place of the meet, winning the 100m dash in 12.95s. Junior Amber Coleman finished right behind her at 13.23, cementing second place for Oberlin as well.

Bosworth took third place in the 400m hurdles at 1:06.62.

The 400m relay team came up short to Mount Union College yet again, a major disappointment to team members.

“We switched the order of the handoffs,” Bosworth said, “so we were a little off.”

The relay squad clocked in at 49.54s, just one tenth of a second behind Mount Union.

Other top finishes for the women included sophomore Teresa Collins taking fourth in the 400m dash and junior Shannon Houlihan’s third in the triple jump.

“Everyone performed really well and there was a ton of positive energy,” senior Laura Feeney said. “We're really excited about what we can do as a team this season.”

For the men, sophomore Bret Petersen led the way, taking second in the 400m dash in 49.18s.

The team feels confident and eager about their upcoming meets and events.

“I can feel more dedication to track this year,” Bosworth said, “and I think it’s due to a really good team dynamic and the success that comes with that.”