December 6, 2014

Results

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Bluffton University men’s and women’s track and field team opened its 2014-15 indoor track and field season with a dual meet at Defiance College. The contest between intra-conference rivals produced a win for the men’s team, a number of HCAC conference championship qualifiers and personal-best performances. 

The meet opened with a school record/conference qualifying performance from freshman Brandon Lowery (Perrysburg) in the 60 meter hurdles with a win at 8.90 while freshman Sarah Hunter (Mt. Blanchard/Riverdale) dominated the 400 meters with a qualifying time of 61.79. The Beavers brought it on in field events by dominating the pole vault competition where all four vaulters qualified for the conference meet with freshmen Brock Morris (Burbank/Norwayne) and Kyle Knezovich (Utica) placing 1st and 2nd, sophomore Terrill Webb (Kenton) 1st and freshman Taylor Bowman (Lebanon) 3rd. 

Junior Edgar Gonzalez (Melvindale, Mich./Melvindale) qualified for the weight throw, winning the event with a PR 48’ 10.25” (14.89 meters) toss as well as taking the shot put competition with a put of 40’ 8.75” (12.41 meters). Garnering accolades along with Gonzalez were sophomore teammates Aron Gibson (Caledonia/River Valley) and DiVaunta Spearman (Sandusky/Willard) who threw lifetime bests in the weight. Freshman D’Nae Reese (Columbus/Upper Arlington) impressed in her college debut with a win in the shot put, 34’ 11.25” (10.65 meters), a conference qualifying mark, and placed second in the weight, a new event to her, with a distance of 37’ 5.75” (11.42 meters) a scant seven centimeters from the conference qualifier.  Sophomore Blake Drewes (Archbold) finished the meet in style, the last athlete competing in any event, with a win and lifetime PR in the high jump, clearing the bar at 6’ 4.75” (1.95 meters) to easily qualify for the HCAC meet. 

“A dual meet with Defiance was a great way to open our indoor campaign,” said Head Coach Karen Brandt. “With a lot of young athletes, it was a less pressure-filled way to start the season. It was fun seeing our throwers wearing the “Beat DC” t-shirts our football coach hands out prior to their game and the Defiance head coach wearing a “Beat Bluffton” shirt!  The rivalry between our teams doesn’t produce the fireworks we see between some of our other sports teams, but it is just as intense. It’s always good to get some qualifiers, best performances and school records in the books at the first meet. The key to the rest of our season though, is in the amount of work everyone does over the semester break. When we return in January and race on the 9th, we’ll see who did their work and who didn’t.”

Following the semester break, the Beavers will race at Capital College on Friday, Jan. 9.

-BEAVERS-