May 4, 2017
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University track and field team came away with an impressive cache of hardware when the Heartland Conference outdoor awards were announced. The conference championships turned into a six-day event when rain and lightning over the weekend moved the 10,000 meters and javelin from Anderson University to Franklin College on Wednesday, May 3.
Taking home Female Field Athlete of the Year honors was junior D’Nae Reese (Columbus/Upper Arlington). The three-time All-HCAC outdoor performer claimed three top three finishes. Reese put on a one-woman tour de force in the field events. She started her podium drive Friday, placing an impressive 2nd in the shot put in just her first time contesting the event this outdoor season. Severe weather interrupted and postponed the discus competition to Saturday where Reese claimed the top step again this year with a dominating 137’ 8” (41.96 meters) new school-record performance. She finished her day in the waning light of the hammer competition where she claimed a solid 3rd. Reese was a First Team All-HCAC performer as a sophomore following a freshman campaign when she earned Second Team recognition. The talented junior was also a First Team All-HCAC performer during the indoor season after winning the weight throw in February.
Also headlining for the Beavers was Stanley Williams (Sterling Heights, Mich./Chippewa Valley) who earned Male Freshman of the Year acclaim. A member of Bluffton's HCAC-winning 4X100 relay team, Williams also made his individual presence known, bringing home three individual podium finishes. In hotly contested competitions, Williams placed 2nd in both the 100 meters and long jump and equaled the 1992 school record for a 3rd place 21.92 second finish in the 200 meters.
The performance of the meet for the men’s team was the win-from-the-slow-heat 4 x 100 meter relay. Despite struggling to connect on handoffs throughout the season and entering the meet with the next to slowest seed time, the foursome of senior Cam Walker (Palmetto, Ga./Newnan), freshman Stanley Williams, sophomore Quincy Salcido (Van Wert) and junior Kyle Knezovich (Utica) cleanly brought the baton home in 42.89 seconds. It wasn’t until the fast heat had run and official results were posted that the Beavers knew they had bested the field by .12 second to the cheers and shouts of the team. The victory propelled Walker, Williams, Salcido and Knezovich to First Team All-HCAC honors!
Salcido played it cool in Friday’s preliminary round of the 400, advancing to the final with the second fastest time, but he turned up the heat on Saturday to bring home the win in a new school record 48.88 for a double dip of First Team All-HCAC hardware.
During Friday’s pole vault competition, Knezovich had his back to the wall and was behind on misses when he capitalized on an opportunity to clear 15’ 3” on first attempt to add an outdoor title to the one he won at the indoor championship, making him two-for-two on First Team All-HCAC honors this year!
Senior Jack Fisher (Norwalk/St. Paul) ran a tactical strategy in the 1500 meters, laying back in the leading pack through the first 800 meters, moving to second in the third lap before taking control of the field in the final 300 meters to take the win in the equivalent of a sub-60 second closing lap en route to the victory and First Team All-HCAC hardware.
Sophomore Keturah Warlick (East Point, Mich./Clintondale) put her speed on display with a 2nd place in the 200 meters and 3rd in the 100. Warlick’s 25.85 over 200 meters establishes a new school record. Joining Warlick with Second Team All-HCAC honors was junior Willow Thompson (Arlington) who took 2nd in the pole vault.
Earning Honorable Mention All-HCAC points was sophomore Jennie Matteson (Guysville/Alexander) who placed 4th in the 5,000 meter race with a PR time before taking 3rd in the 10,000 meters at Franklin on Wednesday night.
Bluffton freshmen KEION JOHNSON (Elkhart, Ind./Central) and CIANA HOSTETLER (Sugarcreek/Garaway) were also recognized by the HCAC by being placed on the All-Conference Sportsmanship team for the 2017 season. The award has been developed as part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative. Members of the All-HCAC Sportsmanship team are selected by the coaches and their teammates as individuals who demonstrate the ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the court.
-BEAVERS-
