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Women's track takes seventh for season

Many strong individual performances

by Sara Foss

Members of the women's track team who have finished strongly all season continued to shine at last weekend's North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) meet at Denison University.

Though the team finished seventh overall, Head Coach Tom Mulligan said that this statistic does not tell the whole tale. "I felt like it was a very good meet," Mulligan said. "I couldn't ask for more from these people."

Senior Shannon Fox, junior Trista Thornberry, and sophomore Amie Ely won all NCAC honors.

Fox took first place in the 5000 meter with a time of 18:46.9. She also took third in the 3000 meter with a time of 10:57.1. Mulligan said, "Shannon ran very well considering where she is in her training." The bulk of the indoor track season occurs during Winter Term. Because Fox returned late in January, she missed many of the month's meets.

Thornberry, who this season broke the school record for the 1500 meter, 1000 meter and 800 meter, again broke the record for the 1500, taking nine seconds of her time and finishing second. Thornberry also finished fifth in the 800 meter, and ran with the 4 by 4 team, which also placed fifth.

Mulligan said, "Trista had an outstanding day … We asked her to do a lot, and she responded."

Thornberry agreed. "That was a big jump for me," she said. "I've never run anything near that in my life."

Ely took third in the long jump, finishing with a distance of 15' 6-3/4." She also ran with the 4 by 4 team and finished seventh in the 300 meter with a time of 45.59.

Mulligan described Ely as someone who has grown throughout the season. "She's blossomed into the kind of athlete we always thought she'd be," he said.

The 4 by 4 team knocked a couple tenths off its best time, and broke the school record it busted one week before the conference meet.

"Everyone did pretty well," Ely said.

Thornberry agreed. "A lot of people ran a lot of races. I think we surprised a lot of people with how well we did as a team and individually."

The Distance Medley team, comprised of first-year Lisa Mickley, junior Amy Kremen, first-year Rebecca Grossman and sophomore Rachel Sims finished fourth with a time of 13:22.05. First-year Chamia Peterson placed fifth in the 55 meter dash.

Responding well when faced with pressure is what competing in a championship is all about. "It's not just a physical thing," Mulligan said. "It's really a mental thing."

"We really pulled it together," Thornberry said.

Though Oberlin's team is smaller than most of the teams it competes against, Mulligan said its main handicap is Winter Term. "Both teams didn't really get started until February," he said. "It's a handicap we deal with every year. I'm pleased with how people progressed as the season went on."

Another problem both the men's and women's teams deal with is a lack of depth, Mulligan said. "We've got good people," he said, adding, "Other teams have more strong performers."

The women's team will lose a few people to other spring sports, but will, for the most part, remain the same throughout the spring season.

About the upcoming spring season, Thornberry said, "I think individuals will keep getting better."

Mulligan said, "People will continue to work hard and do better."


Oberlin

Copyright © 1997, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 125, Number 17; March 7, 1997

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