May 5, 2016

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University track and field team hosted the 2016 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships last weekend and Coach Brandt's efforts culminated in a highly successful showing for the Beavers. The campus and community came together in force and staged a once-a-decade meet while making it look like a weekly occurrence at the Sears Complex!

When the hardware was handed out on Thursday, May 5, Bluffton collected a pair of first team honors following field victories by Edgar Gonzalez (Melvindale, MI/Melvindale) and D’Nae Reese (Columbus/Upper Arlington). Gonzalez bested the field of 29 hammer competitors with a toss of 167’ 2” to be crowned champion. He was one of four Beavers to finish in the top eight! The senior also took seventh in the shot put.

Reese made a statement as well, crushing the discus field of 23 with a PR 134’ 11” performance that was more than 10 feet further than her nearest competitor, breaking her own school record set earlier this season. The sophomore wasn't finished as she put a strong showing in shot as well, placing 3rd in a field of 21 before returning to the ring to take 6th in a field of 20 for hammer.

A men's hammer competition that was dominated by the Beavers saw Alex Parker (Alger/Upper Scioto Valley) throw a PR of his own at 46.29 meters, nailing down a second place finish and Second Team All-HCAC honors in the process. Fellow senior Aron Gibson (Caledonia/River Valley) and junior DiVaunta Spearman (Sandusky/Willard) also brought their best on championship day, placing 7th and 8th, respectively.

Jack Fisher (Norwalk/St. Paul) posted a pair of quality performances, placing 2nd in the men’s 1500 and 3rd at the 800 meter distance. His 2nd place finish in the 1500 meters (4:05.20) earned the junior Second Team All-HCAC acclaim. After posting a PR 11.18 over 100 meters in the preliminary round Friday, sophomore Thaddeus Phillips (South Bend, Ind./Riley) took 3rd in Saturday’s final. He returned to the track for the final of the 200 where he placed 8th. For his efforts across multiple events, Phillips earned Honorable Mention All-Heartland Conference for 2016.

Bluffton sophomores Kris Lyons (Vickery/Margaretta) and Elaina Alpeter (Galloway/Hilliard Bradley) were also recognized by the HCAC by being placed on the All-Conference Sportsmanship team for the 2016 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-