The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Sports February 9, 2007

Four Set Sights on Nationals
 
Going for the Gold: The women’s relay team beat the old school record by 24 seconds. From left to right, senior Barrie Newberger, sophomores Flannery Cerbin, Nicky Ouellet and Maddy Davis-Hayes. 

Last Saturday afternoon sophomore runner Nicky Ouellet was shopping for pants at Urban Outfitters when she received a strange call from track coach Ray Appenheimer asking her to attend a brief meeting at 7:30 p.m. that night in Philips Gymnasium.

“He called me asking to know what my class schedules were on Thursday and Friday,” said Ouellet, explaining that she didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on. “He asked for Barrie [Newberger]’s number and then just hung up.”

Later on that evening at the “meeting,” the energetic New Hampshire native found out that she wasn’t the only one on the other end of bizarre calls by Appenheimer. Accompanying her in the deserted gym were sophomores Maddy Davis-Hayes and Flannery Cerbin and senior Barrie Newberger, all fellow track members of the women’s Distance Medley Relay (DMR) team that placed first in the North Coast Athletic Conference Relays at Denison University on Jan. 27. The icing on the cake was breaking the four year-old school record by an impressive 24 seconds, finishing with a time of 12:29.

After the win, the women went immediately back to the grindstone, training daily for the upcoming All-Ohio Championship meet this weekend, as all four runners qualified for events other than the DMR. While their focus shifted to All-Ohio, little did they know that Appenheimer was working quietly on a mission that would give the runners a spectacular and memorable opportunity. His work culminated in the impromptu meeting.


The information that followed from the coach stunned and excited the runners. He had gotten the women’s DMR team a slot at the St. Valentine’s Invitational at Boston University this Friday, Feb. 9. This meet will provide the chance for Oberlin to match up against a fast field of competition and give them a chance to qualify for the elusive NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Indiana.

The mere mention of “nationals” silenced the bunch. “He asked if we wanted to go to Boston. We were silent for about forty seconds before Barrie said, ‘Hell yeah!’” said Ouellet.

Newberger’s first thought was of complete excitement at being given such a rare chance. “Before this year, I never would have thought I’d have this opportunity and especially because this is my senior year. I was really excited to be going with these three women because I know that we make an excellent team,” she said.

The DMR relay is a continuous race totaling 2.5 miles. It is divided into four legs, raced in the order of 1200, 400, 800 and 1600 meters, which were run by Cerbin, Ouellet, Newberger and Davis-Hayes respectively at Denison. However, it is possible that the runner order could switch at the last minute. Davis-Hayes excels at the mile, while the 800 is the main event for the other three runners.

Hopes of qualifying for nationals has gone from merely a thought at the back of their minds at the beginning of the indoor season to a reality over a short period of time. Last year the Yeowomen had a mediocre indoor relay season attributed to runners not at their best and the personnel on the team.

Newberger was the only current member who was on last year’s team. “Last year, I was not running nearly as well. I don’t think any of us were quite where we needed to be at this time last year and because DMR is only indoors, the ability to qualify must be there immediately.”

The main difference from last year to the current squad is that Appenheimer decided to stack the team. According to Newberger, the relay is usually not focused on as much as the individual races are, but when Appenheimer saw the shape the four runners were in earlier in the indoor season, he decided to put them together on the team. The runners, who have improved considerably since last year, clicked immediately. The first meet of the indoor season at Kent State is when Ouellet saw potential in qualifying the DMR for nationals if the team were stacked properly.

“Because of the strength of the women’s middle distance runners we decided to put an emphasis on the distance medley relay this year in the hope that they could accomplish some pretty special things. So far they have not disappointed,” said Appenheimer.

The four runners entered the indoor season on a high note after clinching the NCAC cross-country Championship. Davis-Hayes and Newberger received All-Region honors, while both of them and Cerbin earned all-conference cross-country honors.

The Kent State meets on Dec. 8 and 9 were the only indoor races until mid-January. While most schools hit the books again, Oberlin was in the middle of Winter Term. Having already made the decision to run the DMR and with thoughts of nationals running through their minds, the four women found the motivation to stay fit over the break.

All the runners did their separate things during the break. Newberger stayed on campus, Cerbin went home to Wisconsin, Ouellet interned in New York and Davis-Hayes traveled across the Atlantic to Italy. No matter how far they were from a track, staying in shape became second nature. “I was running a lot. It is your job to find a track and get your times done. We were all in good shape when we came back,” said Ouellet.

The squad’s DMR victory and record-breaking time is amazing considering how little time the team has performed together. Having never raced the relay competitively as a unit before, the runners returned to campus within days of the meet. Cerbin and Ouellet arrived a day or two before, while Davis-Hayes drove from her house straight to Denison.

Appenheimer heaped praise on the runners’ work ethic. “I am blessed to be working with a group of extraordinarily self-motivated athletes. They want to do great things.”

Appenheimer did not choose some random place to run to try and compete to get to nationals. Boston was chosen over Ohio because of the depth of competition. According to Ouellet, if they want to drop their time, they need to race against at least two or more teams that are faster than they are. Runners tend to improve times when there is close competition, compared to races in which a team is ahead or behind by a decent amount of time.

Several Northeast Division III schools, such as Colby and Middlebury, have the potential to run a 12:10 relay, which is the time Oberlin is aiming toward. A time of at least 12:21 will place Oberlin in the ‘provisional’ pool for nationals, where teams will be selected based on other performances throughout the year. Times near 12:05 will not automatically qualify them, but will give them a much better chance.

This weekend is going to be hectic for the four women. After traveling to Boston on Thursday for the meet on Friday, they fly into Columbus on Saturday morning and head straight to Otterbein College for the All-Ohio Championship meet. The Yeowomen will be running back to back days with little rest. Saturday’s meet is on the backburner for the moment, as a place at nationals is their priority.

The DMR success has been just another stepping stone for Oberlin’s running program, showing that it is a force to be reckoned with. If the team can make it to nationals, it will be not only a milestone for the school, but also a great experience for the sophomores and a fantastic way to put a close on Newberger’s indoor track season.

“This is like the coolest thing ever. My parents are going to be there; it’s going to be awesome. It will be a crazy weekend but hopefully we can qualify for nationals,” said Ouellet.

Who would have known that just over a week ago Appenheimer was organizing a chance for the women to compete at one of the most important meets of their career. The runners were thinking about what to eat for dinner, who to hang out with that night, or in Ouellet’s case, what pants to buy. Maybe if the team makes it to nationals, Ouellet can show off her new clothes in Indiana.


 
 
   

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