On April 27 and April 28, members of the DePauw track and field team travelled to meets out of the state in their final meets before the North Coast Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships.
The last week of competition began at the Gina Relays at Hillsdale College, where members of the team’s distance group competed in the 5,000 meter run. On the men’s side, sophomores Zach Batt and Paul Christian led the charge for the Tigers, as they finished 31st and 32nd with times of 15:09.15 and 15:09.33, respectively.
Senior Claudia Monnett led the charge for the women’s team in the 5,000 meter run, as she crossed the finish line in 12th place with a time of 17:33.75. Senior Lois Miller competed with Monnett in the event and placed 57th with a time of 18:38.95.
“Hillsdale was a good opportunity to get a few of our runners in really competitive 5k’s to get fast times,” Miller sid. “Of the six runners who went, four ran personal bests, so it was a great meet for us.”
The following day, a larger group travelled to Denison University for the Big Red Invitational. In the rain shortened meet, the men’s team collected five first place finishes, highlighted by a pair of victories by junior Nate Baker. Baker won the shot put with a distance of 13.53 meters and also won the hammer throw with a distance of 47.42 meters. Sophomore Demarco Henry collected a third first place finish for the team in the discus after launching the discus 45.17 meters. Baker finished fifth in the event with a distance of 45.17 meters.
“I expected to win going into it,” Henry said. “I knew that if I threw like I had been all week that I would win. Ultimately, I’m still trying to qualify for nationals and this meet was a huge step in the right direction for me.”
The Tigers scored three runners in the 100 meter dash, led by sophomore Chase Wright’s meet winning time of 11.37 seconds. First-year Mohamed Gborie finished the event in fourth with a time of 11.56 and junior David Linton finished eighth with a time of 11.78. In the 400 meters, sophomore Johnny Miller placed second with a time of 50.86. Sophomore Alex Rossebo replicated Miller’s second place finish in the 800 meters with a time of 2:01.46.
On the women’s side, the Tigers saw strong performances from several team members. First-year Emily Wilson was the highest placer for the team, after she placed second in the high jump with a height of 1.55 meters. Senior Amanda Weber placed third in the 100 meters with a time of 13.16, as did first-year Natalie Gruska in the 1,500 meters after she crossed the finish line in 5:00.67.
The Tigers now have their eyes set on their most important meet of the season: the NCAC Outdoor Championships, which will be hosted at home this weekend on Friday and Saturday. After another season of training, Head Coach Kori Stoffregen has high hopes for his team.
“Our goals for the meet are the same every year, and that’s to make our performances the best of the year,” Stoffregen said. “Our men are much improved this year and our women are coming along well this year, and I think we’re going to have a great meet.”