Sophomore Nathan Baker spins as competes in the weight throw during the DePauw Invitational held on campus on Saturday. Baker threw 13.58 meters earning himself a seventh finish. SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
The DePauw Indoor Invitational brought in 15 different teams to compete on the Hollensteiner Track this past Saturday. Both the men’s and women’s teams were able to compete with high intensity and come out with some top finishes.
The DePauw men finished in fourth place while the women were able to take home an eighth place finish.
First-years Johnny Miller and Sarah Selzer both commented on how proud they are of this early season performance. Selzer emphasized the importance of the improvement that the women have made and will continue to make throughout the season.
“I feel like as a girls’ team we could have done better, but we’re still growing,” Selzer said.
However, that is not to say the ladies did not have any breakthrough performances.
First-year sprinter Kaitlyn Daanen dominated the 200m, earning a first place finish. With her impressive time of 26.59s, Daanen has broken the previous school record of 26.67s, which was set in 2009 by Chenae White.
“It was an awesome feeling knowing that working hard in training had started to pay off,” Daanen said. “But I think the best feeling is the support from my team. Everyone congratulated me and I just feel very thankful to be in an environment like that.”
Daanen placed second in the 60m with a time of 8.05s.
Other strong performances from the ladies came from sophomore Hallie Bechtel and senior Ellie Sheffield. Both Bechtel and Sheffield were able to earn seventh place finishes in their respective events, the 400m (1:06.68) and the 60m hurdles (10.22s).
The Tigers’ distance medley relay also came in at fourth with a time of 15:04.01.
On the men’s side, senior Marcus Dozier and first-year Paul Christian were able to turn in first place finishes for the second week in a row.
Dozier threw 16.10m, earning him first place in the shot put. Christian finished first in the 3000m with a time of 8:50.15.
“(Christian) has been working so hard and we cannot be more proud. His dedication and spirit to the team really shine through,” Selzer said.
The Tigers were able to scoop up points from other high-placing performances as well.
Sophomore Polo Burguete placed second in the 5000m, while senior Paul Watts and sophomore Nathaniel Reed followed close behind in fourth and sixth place.
The men’s distance medley relay came in hot with a second place finish at 11:05.12.
The group was able to see great progress while continuing successes from their previous meet.
“As a team we have a lot of potential and I think we just have to keep working hard in practice and more good things will come,” Miller said.
The Tigers are set to host the DePauw Classic on Saturday, Feb. 20.