January 7, 2017
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University track and field teams ended their holiday sabbatical as they traveled to Hillsdale College (MI) for their Winter Opener Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017.
Freshman Stanley Williams (Sterling Heights, Mich./Chippewa Valley) had a banner day, winning the long jump, finishing 5th in a field of 16 in the 200 meter dash in a conference qualifying time and ending the day with a quality leg of the 4 x 400 meter relay that was a significant contribution to the foursome’s heat winning effort.
Williams’ conference qualifier was not the only one of the day as his 200 meter teammate, Quincy Salcido (Van Wert), inched him at the line for 4th place, 23:34 to Williams’ 23:36. Senior Jack Fisher (Norwalk/St. Paul) posted a qualifier in the mile as did fellow senior, DiVaunta Spearman (Sandusky/Willard), in the weight throw. Spearman bettered his previous qualifying performance by nearly three feet which also placed him in a points-paying 8th place out of 20 competitors.
A number of additional athletes had quality PR performances in a variety of events. Junior Kris Lyons (Vickery/Margaretta), freshman Dakota Frost (Edgerton/Hicksville), sophomore Jennie Matteson (Guysville/Alexander) and freshman Arie Cox (Ontario) all ran healthy best times at the 3,000 meter distance. Junior Erick Benge (Monrovia, Ind./Monrovia) joined Spearman with a PR in the weight throw while fellow throwers freshmen Liam Hoppe (Greenwood Twp., MI/Yale) and John Jones (Cincinnati/Walnut Hills) each improved in the shot put.
To wrap up the day’s superlatives, senior Terrill Webb (Kenton) finished 3rd in the women’s pole vault with junior Kyle Knezovich (Utica) also posting a 3rd place finish in the 400 meters.
“After a five week hiatus from competition and four plus weeks of the athletes working out on their own during finals week and semester break, it was heartening to see such positive attitudes and concerted efforts,” said Head Coach Karen Brandt. “This meet was a lot about shaking off the rust and learning what we need to work on now that we have started the new semester. With good training and continued strong efforts, much is yet to be developed throughout this indoor season.”
The Beavers will not remain idle long as they are back in action Friday, Jan 13, at the University of Findlay’s Northwest Ohio Invitational. Field events start at 5 p.m. with track action beginning at 6:05 p.m.
-BEAVERS-
