The Oberlin College track and field teams competed in their last regular meet of their outdoor season on Friday, April 28 at the College of Wooster.

Although the meet was not scored, many on the team voiced a feeling of accomplishment coming away from the competition. Several athletes said it might have been the best meet of their season, which must have helped going into the Conference meet that was held May 4 and 5. 

There were multiple school records and personal bests set at the Wooster meet. Junior Ariane Burwell, who placed first in the 1500-meter with a time of 4:59.58, led the Yeowomen.  Also competing in the 1500-meter was sophomore Alison Doniger, who came in third, finishing with a time of 5:09.50. 

Four Yeowomen competed in the 800-meter, and the ladies dominated the race. Sophomore Alex Petek, first-years Maddy Davis-Hayes and Nicky Ouellet and junior Barrie Newberger finished first through fourth, respectively. Petek finished in a time of 2:20.88, which was also a personal best. 

Senior Captain Katie Au represented the team well in the hammer throw, placing third with a throw of 26’22”. Sophomores Chi Nwabara and Bronwyn Davies both competed extremely well in the high jump.  They ended up landing in a tie for second overall. Both women jumped 1.42 meters. 

The Yeomen held up their side of the competition equally well. Senior Shean Perry placed first in the pole vault, clearing 13’6”.  Sophomores Anthony Osei and Cassius Harris both competed in the long jump, with first and second place finishes respectively. Osei jumped 20’25” while Harris jumped 19’3”.

Senior Gabo Golden outperformed himself in the javelin throw, taking first and setting a personal record with a throw of 45.7 meters. Sophomore Cody Hartley also secured the Yeomen a first place.  He ran the 400-meter hurdles in 57.55. Sophomore Andrew Pike ran the 1500-meter in 4:05.59, which was good for a second place finish and his personal best.

After all the excitement of this meet, the team traveled to the NCAC Championships full of confidence. The conference meet was a two-day competition, which took place last Thursday and Friday. The men finished in seventh place with 34 points. The women came in eighth with 56.55 points. Allegheny College men’s and women’s squads won the meet. Many races on Thursday were preliminaries for Friday’s meet, while some others were finals. 

For the Yeowomen, first-year Kirsten Hansen-Day and sophomore Deysi Villarreal both competed in the pole vault, placing sixth and seventh respectively. Hansen-Day reached a height of 9’5” while Villarreal cleared 8’11”. Davies finished eighth in the triple jump with a 32’0” jump. In the 800-meter, first-year Flannery Cerbin, Petek and Davis-Hayes qualified for Friday’s meet.

On the Yeomen’s side Cody Hartley shined, placing first in the 400-meter hurdles and qualifying for competition on Friday.  He finished in a time of 57.08. Harris placed fifth in the long jump, jumping 20’10”. Junior John Shaw came in sixth in the 10k, finishing with a time of 32:57.6. Sophomore Cory Meyers secured a sixth place finish in the pole vault, clearing 13’3”. Golden finished seventh in the javelin, throwing 148’11”.

Hartley led the Yeomen again on the second day of competition as he placed first in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.45. Harris again placed fifth in the long jump, this time jumping 6.37 meters. First-year Corey Squire also came in fifth, competing in the steeplechase with a time of 9:38.79.

For the Yeowomen, Petek performed well and took first in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:19.72. Cerbin finished right on Petek’s heels, placing second with a time of 2:20.15.  Cerbin also competed in the 1500-meter race, finishing in fourth with a time of 4:46.46.  Lastly, junior Ariane Burwell competed in the 3000-meter steeplechase.  She completed the race with a time of 11:43.65, which was good for third.

Overall the Oberlin College men’s and women’s track and field teams have had an impressive season.  They have trained hard, both during the semester and over their spring break trip to Florida. Wrapping up their season with such a strong performance at conference was truly the cap to an impressive season full of team building and accomplishment.