Oberlin track and field put the icing on its indoor season with a strong performance at the North Coast Athletic Conference championships, where the women’s team finished third and the men in fifth.

“The team worked very hard, and I’m very happy about what we achieved. Our efforts are finally paying off and our coaches can now really be proud of us,” said Senior Chisara Nwabara, who stood out at the meet in the long jump.

The two-day championship took place this past weekend, Feb. 29 through March 1, at Denison University.

First-year Joanna Johnson and senior Marie Barnett, who were both recently named to the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic team, along with teammates juniors Nicky Ouellet and Conor Doss, set things in motion for the Yeomen as they finished in first and second-place, respectively, in the 5000 meter run.

Oberlin dominated again in the pole vault. Senior Deysi Villarreal and first-year Laura Vernon claimed second and third places. Senior and co-captain Kate Cook rounded off the first day of competition for the Yeowomen with a second place finish in the shotput. Cook tossed a personal best of 11.23 meters. The women’s team completed the first day of events in second-place, only two points behind leaders Allegheny.

The men’s team was led by first-year Josh Gallagher, who also tossed a personal best in the shotput. Gallagher’s toss earned him a fourth-place finish and he was closely followed by senior Mark Miller, who came out in sixth place. Doss contributed to the Yeomen point total with a fifth-place finish in the 5000. The Yeomen completed day one with 12 points, good enough for a fifth-place tie with Denison University.

During the second day of the championship, the men’s team stepped things up a notch as it more than tripled its point total with clutch performances in various individual and team events. Senior Anthony Osei competed in the long jump, scaling 6.42 meters of earth to finish in second place. Senior Cassius Harris followed very closely behind with a jump of 6.41 that earned him fourth place.

Meanwhile, junior Ryan King completed the mile run in four minutes 21.75 seconds, setting a new school record and coming out in fourth place.

In the relays, the quartet of senior Cody Hartley, juniors Edwin Takahashi and Kyle Taljan and sophomore Seth Wimberly completed the 4x200 event in 1:34.61, good enough for a third-place finish. The relay of King, sophomore Don Flemming and first-years Peter Morris and Kiron Roy also crossed the finish line with a fourth-place finish in the distance medley. The Yeomen ended the meet with 49.5 points to finish in fifth — three places better than they finished last year.

The women’s team went into the second day with as much conviction as it had in the first day. The women, too, more than tripled their point total with impressive performances across the board.

Senior Anna Chernin was one of the highlights of the day, as she won the 400 with a time of 59.87 — the only performance under one minute in that event. Johnson and Barnett claimed another one-two finish, only this time, Barnett came out on top, completing the 3000 in 10:34.56. Johnson earned second place by completing the course in 10:35.14.

Nwabara and senior Christa Wagner finished with third-place finishes in the long jump and 800, respectively. The Yeowomen crowned the meet with a first place finish in the 4x400. Wagner and Chernin, along with sophomore Madeline Schultz and first-year Amanda Miller, completed the course in 4:07.28, setting a new school record. The Yeowomen finished with 123 points and ended up in third place overall. Ohio Wesleyan University came out on top in both the men’s and women’s categories.

Oberlin indoor track competes next on March 9 at the Last Chance Meet.