by Nate Smith
The Beavers' track and field teams took a strong contingent to Ohio Northern Friday night, and returned feeling even stronger.
Bluffton placed third out of six in both the men's and women's team scoring competitions, with a number of top individual finishes and new indoor school records gained in the process. The women claimed four first-place finishes on the evening, while the men claimed two more. The women totaled 83 points throughout the meet, while the men compiled 76. Both teams finished behind host Ohio Northern and Huntington (NAIA).
Leading the way for the women was freshman sprinter Rita Muether. Muether broke two Bluffton indoor records with her performances in the 55 and 300 meter races. Her time of 7.93 seconds in the 55 meters placed her second in that event, and she later picked up a victory in the 300 meters with a time of 43.95 seconds, breaking the old record in that event by over two full seconds. Also setting a new Bluffton standard on the track for the women was freshman Stephanie Welch, who ran 1:28.59 for the 500 meters while placing third overall. Welch also claimed an individual title in the high jump. Other event winners for the Beavers included Michele Bailey (So.), who claimed the victory in the weight throw, and the women's distance medley relay team of Welch, Lauren Borga, Kirstie Dravenstott, and Jennifer Creamer. Dravenstott also established an indoor record in the triple jump, with a jump of 28'11" in her first-ever competition.
Other top performances for the women included: Amanda Habegger (55HH - 6th, 9.51; 300m - 5th, 46.57, Vault - 6th, 7'0.25"), Jana Hammer (55m - 6th, 8.15), Jennifer Creamer (1000m - 6th, 3:36.68), Megan Beach (Shot - 4th, 33'3.25"; Weight - 2nd, 34'10.5"), and Rachel Noirot (Vault - 5th, 7'0.25").
The men's top performances began in the field events, where junior Clint Dillon bested his own indoor record in the pole vault with a winning vault of 14'6". Dillon was joined in his record-setting performance by freshman sprinter Al Pearson, who set a new 300 meter indoor record with his time of 37.95 seconds, tying him for third overall in the meet. Other event winners for the Bluffton men included their distance medley relay team of Dan Rosebrock, Floyd Ward, Andy Schiefer, and Steve Borga, a team which finished 42 seconds in front of second-place Wilberforce. Rosebrock also established a new indoor record for the Beavers in the 1000 meters, with his time of 2:41.80.
Other top performances for the men included: Floyd Ward (500m - 4th, 1:12.26), Andy Schiefer (800m - 4th, 2:11.43), Jason Lehman (300m - 6th, 38.72), Steve Borga (5000m - 3rd, 17:30.16), Jeremy King (HJ - 2nd, 5'11.25"), Fred Yoder (Vault - 5th, 12'0.5"), Travis Lepley (Shot - 5th, 42'6.75"), and Jeff Lehman (Shot - 6th, 42'6.25").
Said Head Coach Derek Stanley, "I was very pleased with our performances to open the 2003 season. Hopefully, we can just continue to get better throughout this indoor portion of our schedule."
The Beavers will be attempting to do just that next Saturday, February 8th, when they travel to conference rival Anderson (IN) for their next indoor competition.
