[ Complete results: standard | metric ]
Bluffton opened the outdoor track and field season in a tri-meet at Manchester College on Tuesday afternoon, March 19.
Competing against host Manchester and Defiance, the Beavers came away with plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the 2002 season. The men's team featured both event winners and strong performances throughout.
Bluffton scored 64 points to win the meet, followed by Manchester (63 points) and Defiance (61 points).
The showing on the men's side was highlighted with event winners on the track and in the field. The strongest overall performance arguably was turned in by sprinter Ryan Nusbaum, who claimed first-place finishes in the 100 and 200 meters and ran legs on the winning 400 meter and 1600 meter relay teams.
Nusbaum’s performance was followed closely on the track by Chris Mackey, who won the 400 meters and finished a close second to Nusbaum in the 200. Mackey also ran the opening leg on the 1600 meter relay team, which shaved about nine seconds off their best indoor time of the season and also featured Jason Lehman and Troy Baumer. The 400-meter relay team which finished first was led off by Nusbaum and also featured Ben Osterland, Adam Super, and Lehman.
Those displays on the track were nearly matched in the field, where the Beavers claimed three first-place awards. Rick Orr won the shotput and finished second in the discus, while fellow Travis Lepley claimed victory in the hammer. In the pole vault, it was Clint Dillon's turn to shine as he won the competition handily with a winning vault of 13 feet, 6 inches. And in the javelin, Steve Borga placed in his first-ever competition and also set a new personal-best mark on the track by taking 14 seconds off his previous best in the 3200 meters.
