Ashley Ferguson
Senior Sports Writer
The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams posted times and jumps from several instrumental athletes last Saturday at the All-Ohio Championships at Otterbein University in Westerville, Oh. Jacob Denbeaux ’19 logged an outstanding podium finish in the mile, running a career-best 4:28.31 (indoor) to place third.
Classmate Jack Petrecca ’19 also charted a top team performance in the high jump, where his success in his final jump at six feet four inches was good for a sixth-place tie. Brian Lief ’19 also came in sixth in the men’s 800-meter run with a time of 1:58.74, another personal best in his indoor career.
Carolyn Webster ’19 continued the sophomore streak on the women’s side, placing seventh overall with her final jump of five feet, three inches in the high jump. She also finished 11th in the long jump with a mark of 16 feet, eight inches.
Teammate Katie Cameron ’17 also put in a solid effort, finishing close behind with a jump of 15 feet, 4.75 inches to come in 13th place overall.
In the running events, Taryn Szalay ’17 notched another of the various personal records on the day, running 9.66 in the 60-meter hurdles. She was just .06 seconds away from earning a spot in the championship qualifying heat, but still came in ninth place overall. Webster also ran, recording 9.96 in the 60-meter hurdles to claim a 13th-place finish.
Summer Robinson ’20 made her mark in the triple jump as she leapt to 34 feet, three inches and snagged a seventh-place spot. Elizabeth Obi ’18 jumped a best on the day of 31 feet, 10.75 inches, good for a 14th place finish.
Head Coach Dennis Rice noted that the meet is a good checkpoint, especially heading toward the spring months. “The All-Ohio Championships and the Kenyon Invitational [this weekend] are early season meets that give us [the coaching staff] an opportunity to evaluate where we are with training/development heading into the Indoor Conference Championships and the start of the outdoor season,” he said.
Assistant Coach Julius Higginbotham said, “All-Ohio is more of an incentive for the athletes that qualify. It gives them a chance to have a championship caliber meet in the midst of training for NCAC indoor conference championship — which is only the midpoint of our season. Our ultimate goal as [a] program is to be healthy and ready to compete at our best for the NCAC outdoor conference championship in May.”
Commenting on the team’s performance this past weekend, Rice said, “We had excellent performances from the men & women that competed at the All-Ohio Championships,” adding, “We’re excited for the upcoming indoor Championships and the start of the outdoor season.”
Higginbotham added, “It was very rewarding to see the Fighting Scots have fun and compete amongst their peers at such a high level.”
The Fighting Scots will compete tomorrow at the Kenyon College Classic in Gambier, Oh., with field events kicking off at noon.