With Conference approaching, the Tigers turned out a number of strong performances at the Indiana Division III Track and Field Championships last weekend at DePauw.
The men’s team finished an overall fourth out of nine teams, while the women finished seventh out of eight teams.
Senior Marcus Dozier once again headlined the men’s team in his quest for a Division III championship.
The senior won the discus (57.13m) and the shot put (15.75m), breaking both the school and meet record in the discus. The performance earned him the honor of being named NCAC Field Athlete of the Week.
The men also received another strong performance from first-year Paul Christian, who won the 5,000 meter with a 15:25.99 finish.
Sophomore Polo Burguete placed second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:46.47), while senior Paul Watts finished second in the 10,000 meter (32:35.13).
On the women’s side, the Tigers received three first-place finishes. First-year Ashley Hash won the high jump (1.63m/5-4.25), sophomore Rachel Gutish won the pole vault (3.25/10-8) and junior Claudia Monnett finished first in the 10,000 meter (40:54.67).
“Jumping only 10-8 so far this season is definitely a letdown compared to my 11-9 last year,” said Gutish, who spent most of the indoor season recovering from a broken foot. “However, if you’re out with injury and unable to run for nearly three months, that’s bound to happen.”
The Tigers will travel to Terre Haute this weekend to compete in the Rose-Hulman Twilight, a meet that has brought the team success in past years.
“The team is getting better… and that is always our goal… at the end of the year,” said Head Coach Kori Stoffregen. “We are looking forward to our meet at Rose-Hulman on Friday night. The team loves competing at night.”
Gutish agreed.
“I think that we do have…potential to regroup and improve on our team’s performance” Gutish said. “I trust my team to go out and deliver the best performance that we possibly can.”
The meet, scheduled for a 5 p.m. start, is one of only two remaining before the Tigers head to Ohio Wesleyan for the NCAC Decathlon.