Photo Recap of the 2009 DCXC Football Game

"When I was your age, I could throw that there pigskin over that there mountain range. If Coach would've put me in we would've won the State Championship. No doubt in my mind. No doubt in my mind."

Keiquan giving his best Kurt Warner impression (Warner's one of the rare NFL QB's that throw in gloves, right? If not, that would be a complete fail of a comparison).

Nusbaum thinks to himself, "Girls! Get your game faces on! We're about to play football. We're not tip-toeing through the tulips (sigh). Yeah, we're going down."

Ellen & Mindy, communicating in some sort of, hidden language...or something. Whilst smiling.

As is tradition, the men and women of Defiance College Cross Country (well, most of them), got together Wednesday for a little game of tackle football. Fun was had by all.

Ladies and gentleman...introducing...the Black Team!

click pictures to enlarge


...and their challengers. The very capable (well, except maybe for Steve), Red Team!



Let's watch a few plays (maybe even a scoring drive) develop, shall we?


Sequence 1: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Hands -


Matt, Hayden and M indy begin their respective routes - each with with the hope that it might be their number that is called.

Matt thinks to himself, "I'm obviously the most attractive target. I'm a good 5 yards deeper than Hayden, plus, I'm wearing yellow shorts, which makes me more visible. It's in the bag. This throw's coming to me! Mwahahahah!"

Aaron airs it out as senior Ryan Nusbaum analyzes the trajectory of the pigskin.

Hayden mumbles to himself, "I still can't believe Simpson didn't catch the sweet one-handed catch I just reeled in on camera. He's seriously useless. Man, I sure can squeeze in a good few sentences of mumbling in just a 4-6 second passing ro ute. Interesting."

"Oooh! Oooh! I hope the ladies are watching!"

"Golly! I knew I should have been all-time quarterback! Gee-wiz...awe shucks!"

Sequence 2: Goodness. Gracious. Great Balls of Fire -

(to come later, when the webmaster's not hungry and running out of daylight to run)

*****

Team Shows Promise in 1600m Time-Trial

One thing is clear, the Defiance Yellow Jackets are ready. Ready to close the season on the best of notes Saturday at the DIII Great Lakes Regional Championships in Terra Haute, IN.

Proof?

How about an eleven second 1600m PR.

That's exactly what happened for freshman Hayden Krick, who shattered his high school best (4:45) after running a gutsy 4:34 in the swirling wind Thursday.

"I felt really good. I actually felt like I could have run a bit faster if I would have moved earlier," said Krick.

We have a feeling these good feelings will carry over to the season-closer Saturday. Stay tuned!


*****

Championship Time is Here!

Over the past month, the DC Harriers have survived an ultra-competitive trio of races. Beginning on October 2nd with the All-Ohio Championships through last weekend's HCAC Championships, the stretch included plenty of promise as this young and talented team continues to grow with experience.

Justin Perkins and Kaitlin Switzer led the men's and women's teams with personal bests on a course renowned for hilly terrain and slower-than-usual finishes. After a coaches meeting at the meet we found that this year's race would indeed be the last All-Ohio cross country championship hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University for some time as the race will change venues to a faster, flatter Cedarville University course. The race, which was has traditionally always run on a Friday, will also change to a Saturday start in 2010.

As expected, the Intercollegiate Rumble at Oberlin was a day for PR's. Despite a course that ran significantly slower than last year due to rain and mud, nearly all men and women came away with PR's.

Kaitlin Switzer led the way for the Yellow Jackets once again at Oberlin, finishing the 6k in 24:33. Kaye Brockbrader ran well, crossing the stripe in 25:33, while Ellen Stryfeller finished 30 seconds later to take third place for the Jackets. Kelly Neff and Karra Suffel rounded out the scoring to DC, coming in at 26:10 and 26:41 respectively.

Justin Perkins had a good showing for the Yellow Jackets, completing the 8k course in 26:50, his first career sub-27 performance. Hayden Krick was just half a minute behind, crossing the line in 27:20. Logan Alvarez, Seth Bidlack and Aaron Fraley finished out the top five runners for the Yellow Jackets.

At last weekend's HCAC Championships in Cincinnati, the Lady Jackets improved two spots overall on last year's finish, placing 6th overall as a team. Kaitlin Switzer led the way for the lady harriers, posting an 18th place finish as she completed the 6k course in 25:25. Switzer was given HCAC honorable mention recognition for her efforts. Sophomore Ellen Stryfeller was the next Yellow Jacket to finish, crossing the finish line in 26:30 for a 27th place finish. Kelly Neff (27:07), Kara Suffel (27:22) and Kaye Bockbrader (27:23) rounded out the top five for the Yellow Jackets.

The men also improved on last year's finish, improving from 6th to 5th overall in the conference. Justin Perkins paced the Yellow Jacket harriers, completing the 8k course in 28:32 for a 24th place finish. Freshman runner Hayden Krick finished 19 seconds later to claim a 30th place finish for Defiance. Logan Alvarez (28:55), Aaron Fraley (29:30) and Tyler Reese (29:49) finished out the top five DC runners.

This week, the harriers close their season at the Great Lakes Regional Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana.

*****

Good Day to Be a Jacket!

Sophomore Justin Perkins and junior Kaitlin Switzer each picked up their first career cross country individual wins as both the men's and women's cross country teams won their respective races at Friday's Bluffton Invitational.


2008 HCAC Steeple Champion Justin Perkins proves he's no slouch on grass, en route to his first career cross country victory Friday.

via Defiance Athletics:

The men’s cross country team won the Bluffton Invitational decisively on Friday, placing seven runners in the top eight, and 11 in the top 15. DC recorded 18 points in the meet. Conference rival Bluffton University finished in second place with 49 points, while Owens Community College placed third with 71 points.

Sophomore Justin Perkins led the way for the Yellow Jackets, placing first overall as he finished the 5k in 16:37. Hayden Krick finished in 16:45 to claim the second place spot for DC. Tyler Reese, Logan Alvarez and Ryan Green rounded out the scoring for the jackets as they finished 4th, 5th and 6th overall respectively.


Kaitlin Switzer flexed her muscles with a 30+ second win Friday afternoon.

The DC women’s cross country team scored 26 points on their way to a first place finish despite being without their lead runner from last week's Cedarville Invitational - freshman Kaye Brockbrader. The Jackets edged out HCAC opponent Bluffton University, who finished in second place with 29 total points.

Defiance native Kaitlin Switzer took first place overall as she finished the 3k in 12:12. Kelly Neff claimed the third place spot for the Jackets as she crossed the line in 12:58, while Erika DeBos finished fifth overall coming in at 13:15. Kara Suffel and Ellen Stryffeler rounded out the scoring for Defiance, finishing seventh and tenth overall respectively.

*****

DCXC Competes @ Cedarville

Freshman Kaye Brockbrader paced the Lady Jackets Saturday.

It was a breakout day for the newbies at freshman lead the way at the 19th Annual Friendship Inviational Saturday.

The Defiance men's cross country team managed to finish four individuals faster than last year's two man at the Cedarville Friendship Invite despite being without the services of lead runner, sophomore Justin Perkins.

Freshman Hayden Krick paced the Jackets with 1 28:28 with sophomore Logan Alvarez just a few steps behind in 28:30.

In the women's race, freshman Kaye Brockbrader ran the first sub-21-minute 5k of her incredibly young collegiate career.

*****

The Harriers Shine at Home Invite!

Defiance Cross Country opened on a fantastic note today, as seven men and six women ran faster than last fall's number two runners on the always slow home cross country course, respectively.


Sophomore Justin Perkins lead the way for DC.

Men's 2008 results

Mens' 2009 results


Sophomore Kara Suffel's 23:04 home debut on the challenging home course was good for the 6th spot on the women's team -- a time faster than the Lady Jacket's #2 runner only a season ago.

Women's 2008 results

Women's 2009 results

complete story via DefianceAthletics.com:

The Lady Jackets placed two harriers in the top five and four runners in the top 15, marking huge improvements over last year’s times.

Defiance, Ohio native Kaitlin Switzer led the way for the Jackets finishing third overall with a time of 20:42. Freshman Kaye Brockbrader (21:08), made an instant impact for Defiance finishing her first DC Classic in fifth place overall.

Erika Debos and Kelly Neff finished 14th and 15th coming in at 22:07, while Ellen Stryffeler rounded out the top five DC runners with a 21st-place finish.

On the men's side, sophomore Justin Perkins led the way for the Yellow Jackets finishing sixth overall with a time of 29:02. Freshman Hayden Krick finished 12th overall, with a time of 29:43, while Logan Alvarez placed 16th coming in at 30:16.

Ryan Green and Aaron Fraley rounded out the scoring for Defiance, finishing 18th and 19th overall.

The DC cross country team will travel to Cedarville, Ohio, on September 19, to compete in the Cedarville Invitational.

*****

DC Opens Hokem Karem-style

Kaitlin Switzer (Jr.) and partner Erika DeBos (Fr.) lead the way for the Lady Jackets.

via Defiance Athletics:

The Yellow Jackets cross country teams began the season on Tuesday, September 1, at the Manchester College Hokum Karem Invitational. The women’s team placed third among four teams while the men’s team finished fourth overall.

In the women’s race, Kaitlin Switzer and Erika DeBos teamed up to finish sixth overall with a time of 6:26. The team of Ellen Stryfeller and Kaye Brockbrader finished ninth with a time of 6:41 while Kelly Neff and Courtney Swabb came in 13th finishing the race in 7:08. Andria Galbraith and Chelsea Sites teamed up to run a time of 7:22 and Mindy Delong and Kara Suffel finished in 7:28.

Hayden Krick (Fr.) earned the best cumulative splits for the DC men on the evening.

For the men, the team of Ryan Green and Hayden Krick led the Yellow Jackets finishing 11th overall with a time of 5:32. Seth Bidlack and Aaron Fraley combined to finish 13th with a time of 5:33 and Logan Alvarez and Matt Rolf teamed up to finish 15th overall with a time of 5:42. Ryan Nusbaum and Troy Secrest finished with a time of 6:02 and Steve Switz and Issac Wilkins finished in 6:06 rounding out the scoring for the DC harriers.

The Cross Country teams will return to action on Saturday, September 12, to participate in the Defiance invitational on the DC campus beginning at 10:00 am.

*****

Welcome Aboard Coach Roberts!

DC beefed its' track and field staff this summer with the additions of Roberts and familiar face Daniel Rodriguez as volunteer throws coach.



Who is this guy?

via DefianceAthletics.com:
Sterling Roberts enters his first season as an assistant track and field coach for Defiance College. The North Carolina native will focus primarily on hurdles and jumps for the 2009 season.

Roberts comes to Defiance after graduating with a bachelor’s of arts in history from Eastern Michigan University. At Eastern Michigan, Roberts was a four-time varsity letter winner as a 400-meter hurdler. After graduation Roberts traveled to Madrid, Spain, where he trained and competed for a year as a member of the AD Marathon team.

Roberts came back to the states in 2004 and became the head track Coach at Wakefield High School in North Carolina. As a head coach Roberts led the team to its first ever conference championship in school history. Roberts also coached multiple All-State athletes, including a four-time state champion, five high school All-Americans and one high school national champion.

As a graduate assistant at Defiance, Roberts will pursue a master’s of arts in education with a concentration in coaching.

*****

Derov's on TV!

Senior thrower Laura Derov and Rebecca Zebrowski (junior), along with Defiance College history professor Don Buerk, recently returned from Cambodia. Their journey was part of the Defiance College McMaster School mission to advance humanity.

Professor Buerk's project provided historical contributions to the learning community and continued development of “An Intelligent Traveler’s Guide” to Cambodia and a checklist of “indicators of democracy” that McMaster scholars can readily observe.

Laura Derov's project provided equipment and training materials to the Cambodian National Volleyball League Disabled (CNVLD), a rehabilitation program for victims of landmine accidents that employs volleyball and wheelchairs as a means to reintegrate individuals back into society.

Rebecca Zebrowski's project involved compiling an oral history of medicinal herbs in Cambodia with the goal of developing print materials in Khmer to promote broader awareness of natural healing practices.

The DC students will appear this Friday evening at 8:30 on WGTE-TV Ch. 30.

*****

Running Camp Announced!

We're pleased to announce the dates for the 2009 Northwest Ohio Distance Running Camp. Fellow collegiate coaches Dan Graber (Centre College), Dan Simpson (Defiance College) and Greg Zumberger (Heidelberg University), as well as guest lecturers and athletes, will host the camp beginning June 28 through July 1.

The camp is open to runners of all abilities, male and female, in grades 7-12 during the 2009-2010 academic year. Campers can stay on the Defiance campus or commute daily.

All are encouraged to register by June 25th to ensure entry to the camp as registration will close on the 26th.

Camp brochure and tentative itinerary to be featured via Defiance Athletics by Monday, June 15th. There are currently 42 campers commited unofficially. For more information, please send e-mail to dsimpson@defiance.edu

For more information, visit the official Northwest Ohio Distance Running Camp website.

*****

Sting! : Marietta, OH - Brad just misses at 2.06 after three solid attempts.

Sting! : Marietta, OH - Brad clears 2.03m on his third and final attempt at the height! Only 11 jumpers remain. Next height is 2.06m which would be a .01 PR.

Sting! : Marietta, OH - Brad leaps over 1.98m in his all-important first attempt!

Sting! : Marietta, OH - Brad opens Nationals with an incredibly clean leap over the 1.93m opening height!

Sting! : Naperville, IL - Perkins runs about 9:40 unofficially. Mr. Consistent.

Sting! : Naperville, IL - Zarembski clears 6'6-3/4''. Out on 6'8-3/4''. Perkins to race steeple within next 90 minutes if weather stays clear.

Sting! : Naperville, IL - BZ clears 6'4'' with ease in prep for HJ start. Track events delayed due to lightning. More important info soon to come!

Sting! : Naperville, IL - Sophomore Austin Trivett earned a provisional mark with his 6088-point performance Tuesday and Wednesday in the decathlon.

Zarembski & Perkins to Compete @ North Central

Mobile updates of Brad's high jump (tip @ approximately 6pm eastern) and Justin's 3k steeplechase (9:50pm eastern) to follow throughout the day.

*****

Trivett, Fraley and Goldstein Rep DC @ Multi

Sophomore Austin Trivett defended his home track in the weekend's decathlon action.

Defiance, Ohio – Austin Trivett won the decathlon at Defiance College’s first-annual Multi-Event Meet on Saturday, scoring a personal record 5,496 points. Goshen College’s Abri Houser claimed the heptathlon with 3,867 points in the two-day meet.

Trivett recorded the highest-scoring marks in five different events, while tallying 696 points on his way to top honors in the high jump. The sophomore also scored over 600 points in the 100m dash, 110m hurdles and the pole vault, while reaching the 500-point plateau in all but three events.

DC’s Aaron Fraley also competed in the event, recording a score of 3,502 in his first-ever decathlon. Fraley’s effort was highlighted by a 614-point performance in the 1500m, taking home first-place honors in the event.

Kristin Goldstein was the lone member of the women’s track and field team to compete in the meet, finishing fourth with a personal-best 3,372 points. The junior scored over 500 points in three different events, the 100m hurdles, 200m dash and the 800m run.

The Defiance college track and field team will be back in action on Friday, May 8, when it participates in Indiana University’s Billy Hayes Invitational.

Results (pdf):

Men's decathlon

Women's heptathlon

*****

Lady Jackets Just Miss HCAC Title

Five Individual Titles Most in Conference
April 24^th-25^th (Terre Haute, IN): The Defiance College Women's Track & Field Team finished a point and a half from their fourth conference title since 2001, at the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships. The squad was led by sophomore Holly Stein, who repeated her 2008 performance, taking first in the discus (130'1") and javelin (117'8") and second in the shot put (39'2¼"). Fellow second-year Emily Cole also repeated as champion, winning the pole vault (9'4 ¼").

The throwing group once again shined brightest for the Jackets, with Stein leading the way. Junior Amanda Tooley earned her first conference crown, winning the Hammer Throw (144'1") and adding a 36'11 ¾" in the shot, to finish fifth. Laura Derov was also a three event placer, taking third in the shot (38'7"), sixth in the javelin (98'11") and hammer (128'2"). Fellow juniors Jess Lipstraw (third- Discus, seventh- Hammer) and Sam Hidgon (eighth- Shot Put) also provided scoring.

In the "fast twitch" events, freshman Marlea Rolander sped to a personal best in the 100m hurdles to take that title (15.38). She also added fifth place finishes in the 100m (13.41) and 200m (27.40) and ran the lead-off on the sixth place 4x100m relay. Kristen Goldstein anchored that same relay, and was runner-up in the 100m (12.67), fourth in the 200m (27.19), seventh in the javelin (97'7") and ran on the sixth place 4x400m team. Courtney Lantz ran legs on both relays and added a seventh in the pole vault. Bria Gendron was the final cog of the 4x1 and just missed placing in the high jump, finishing 9^th. Alex Thiel rounded out the scoring in the jumps, tying for eighth in the vault, and also made finals in the triple jump, bounding a season best (31'6") to finish ninth.

The most improved area for the team this year was in the distance events. After scoring just one point in 2008, Kaitlin Switzer and Kelly Neff combined to total seventeen points, placing in five different events. Switzer, a sophomore, led the charge, taking third in the 3000m steeplechase (12:13.04), fifth in the 1500m (5:11.74) and seventh in the 5000m (20:42.73). Her triple was made even more impressive in that she did all three events within twenty-four hours, with temperatures in the mid-eighties. Neff, a junior, earned her highest conference finish, taking fifth in the 800m final. She also qualified for finals in the 400m hurdles (1:14.65) in just her first attempt at the event, finishing eighth. Neff also led-off the 4x4, with Courtney Swabb finishing off the quartet.

One of the most exciting aspects of the Lady Jacket's runner-up finish was that there were no seniors on the team. The women will certainly be the early favorites heading into the 2010 and looks to earn their fourth HCAC team title.

*****

Jackets Third in HCAC Championships

Zarembski "Three-Peats" in High Jump

Perkins Earns First Title

April 24^th- 25^th (Terre Haute, IN): The Defiance College Men's Track & Field Team matched their top HCAC finish, finishing third in the 2009 championship meet.

Junior Brad Zarembski earned his third straight High Jump title (6'8 ¼") and added a fifth in the Long Jump (20' 6 ½"). Zarembski jumped a NCAA Provisional Qualifying height for the fourth time in six meets this season, and currently is tied for ninth among all NCAA DIII high jumpers.

Freshman Justin Perkins showed that he would be a force to be reckoned with for the next three years, leading the distance group to eighteen points, after scoring zero in 2008. Perkins took a dominating win the 3000m steeplechase (9:47.69), leading wire-to-wire for the victory. He also added a sixth place finish in a tactical 1500m (4:20.64). Junior Seth Bidlack had one the biggest breakthroughs of the meet, running a nearly four second PR in the 800m trials (1:58.74), and taking fifth in the final. Issac Wilkins dropped down in distance, and made the 400m final (53.38), taking eighth in a personal best.

Austin Trivett showed that his freshman championship meet was no fluke. After earning "HCAC Freshman of the Year" honors in '08, Trivett scored even more points in '09, totaling twenty-seven, placing in six different events. Trivett took thirds in both the Pole Vault (13'10 ½") and the Javelin (165'4"), fourth in the 110 hurdles (15.52 pr) and High Jump (6'2 ¼") and a sixth in the Long Jump (20'5 ¼"). Freshman Jordan Weber chased Trivett to a sixth in the 110 hurdles (15.89) and leapt to eight in the Triple Jump (40'1 ½"), both personal bests. Sophomore Kyle Longsdorf, fresh off a big personal best (14'0), vaulted to a sixth place finish and added a leg of the 4x400m relay, along with Bidlack, Wilkins and Andrew Baker.

In the sprint events, freshman Blake Witherspoon led the way, posting collegiate bests in both the 100m (10.88) and 200m (21.83). Witherspoon ran the backstretch on the 4x100m squad, who won by over half a second, posted the fastest 100m of the championship and earned a runner-up finish in the 200m, just .03 from a NCAA Qualifying mark. Junior Trey Harris (11.19 pr) and Sophomore Ryan Perry (11.22) also qualified for the 100m final, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. Harris also earned a spot in the 200m final (23.19), taking eighth.

Heading into the post-conference season, Zarembski looks to add a second All-American honor, after finishing fifth in the 2007 NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships. Trivett (Decathlon) and Witherspoon (200m) are also legitimate contenders for a NCAA berth. The 2009 NCAA DIII Championships will be contested May 21^st-23^rd, at Marietta University.

*****

Tooley Nabs DC's 7th HCAC Award!

story via Defiance Athletics:



Junior Amanda Tooley garnered All-Ohio honors for the second consecutive year and has been tabbed as the HCAC Field Athlete of the Week. Defiance has now earned the conference weekly honor seven times this season, four more than any other HCAC institution.

Tooley finished second in the hammer throw at the 2009 All-Ohio Outdoor Championships, tossing a personal-best 141-11 to record the HCAC’s top mark by nearly ten feet. The junior also advanced to the finals in the shot put, finishing ninth overall. Tooley currently ranks fifth in the HCAC in the shot put.


*****

All-Ohio Recap

Junior Amanda Tooley sits comfortably atop the HCAC hammer throw list after her efforts at All-Ohio.

For DC Track & Field, the number thirteen has nothing to do with luck (or the opposite of it). It does, however, have everything to do with hard work and maybe even a bit of talent.

Yes, thirteen was the number of All-Ohio (top eight overall) performers tallied at Saturday's Division III All-Ohio Championships at Ohio Wesleyan University.

The women's team finished tenth overall Saturday, totaling 27 points in the meet. The Lady Jackets tallied six All-Ohio performances on the afternoon, their highest total in over three years.

Amanda Tooley recorded the top finish of the day for the women, placing second in the hammer throw to earn All-Ohio honors for the second consecutive year. The junior thrower set a personal record in the meet with her toss of 141-11, posting the top mark in the conference by nearly ten feet.

Kaitlin Switzer was also named an All-Ohio selection finishing fourth in the 3000m steeplechase. The sophomore broker her own school record in the event with a time of 11:59.10, ranking second in the HCAC with that mark.

Holly Stein saw her number of All-Ohio selections grow to four, finishing in the top eight in two different events for the second year in a row. The sophomore thrower recorded a mark of 108-09 in the javelin to finish fifth, while tallying sixth-place honors in the discus with a throw of 115-04.

Samantha Higdon was named All-Ohio for the second-straight year, after finishing fifth in the hammer with a mark of 131-02. Laura Derov was sixth in the shot put with a toss of 38-02.25, earning All-Ohio accolades for the second time in her career.

Kristin Goldstein and Marlea Rolander each narrowly missed All-Ohio honors, finishing just outside of the scoring.

On the men's side the team put together seven All-Ohio performances, while garnering thirty points on its way to a 10th-place finish at the 2009 All-Ohio Outdoor Championships on Saturday.

Blake Witherspoon and Brad Zarembski each grabbed runner-up honors in their respective events to lead DC. Zarembski, a two-time All-Ohio high jump champion, earned All-Ohio Outdoor honors for the third consecutive year, after clearing 6-06.75 in the high jump. Witherspoon came up just short in his bid for the 200m crown, finishing second with a collegiate-best time of 22.11.

Austin Trivett was the lone Jacket to earn All-Ohio honors in multiple events. The Defiance High School product cleared a personal-best 14-02.50 to grab fifth-place in the pole vault, while tallying a toss of 156-09 in the javelin on his way to eighth-place.

Justin Perkins continued his assault on DC’s Top 10 List in the distance events, moving into second-place all-time in the 3000m steeplechase. The freshman finished fourth in the event with a personal record time of 9:41.39 to post the top time in the HCAC by over 20 seconds.

Ryan Perry earned All-Ohio honors in the 100m for the second consecutive year, finishing sixth with his time of 10.98 in the finals. The sophomore sprinter set a personal record in the prelims, crossing the line in 10.97 to top the HCAC Performance List this spring.

Nic Niehaus became DC’s seventh All-Ohio selection, after recording an eighth-place finish in the hammer throw with a toss of 132-05.

Defiance will return to action on April 18, when it will compete in the Spartan Classic on the campus of Manchester College. Events are set to begin at 10:00 a.m.

Complete Results:

women & men

HCAC Outdoor Rankings

*****

Midseason Outdoor Update

Oh how time flies. We're three meets into '09's outdoor campaign and the always competitive All-Ohio meet is next on the horizon.

Here's a quick recap of how things have gone since our last post...

1) Through three weeks of action, Defiance Track & Field currently leads a staggering 10 events on the Heartland Athletic Conference Outdoor Performance List with many more athletes near the top.

2) Brad Zarembski finds himself sitting top five in the nation in the high jump after this great attempt at last week's Polar Bear Invite in Marion, Indiana:



3) Defiance College: 6 ... HCAC: 6

After Samantha Higdon (pictured below) and Martlea Rolander took two more awards today (scroll down), DC Track & Field now owns half of the entire Heartland Athletic Conference's (HCAC) athlete of the week total; 6 of 12 awards since the beginning of outdoor.

HCAC Track & Field Athlete's of the Week breakdown:

Week 1 (Monday, March 23rd): Freshman Marlea Rolander and Blake Witherspoon honored as HCAC track athletes of the week.

Week 2 (Monday, March 30th): Sophomore Holly Stein and Junior Brad Zarembski tally HCAC field athletes of the week honors.

Week 3 (Monday, April 6th): Freshman Marlea Rolander and Junior Samantha Higdon sweep women's weekly awards. Rolander take track, Higdon the field.

4) Last week at the Polar Bear Invite Kaitlin Switzer and Justin Perkins (pictured below) made impressive career steeplechase debuts. Kaitlin won the meet, running what would end up the third fastest steeple time in the HCAC at this point in the season (12:19.83). A week after running sub-16 in his first collegiate 5k (15:52), Justin ran an impressive 9:56.36 - a time that finds him currently atop the conference standings in the event.

Again, DCTF continues their full head of steam into Saturday's All-Ohio meet. Rumour has it, they might even be sporting a new look.

Stay tuned....

*****

Up to Speed (Taylor & All-Ohio Recaps)

Tooley & Marlander earned All-Ohio honors Saturday

Zarembski & Trivett lead the men with All-Ohio finishes

Since our last post, much has happened, specifically the 7th's Taylor Invite and Saturday's All-Ohio Indoor Championships. What went down?

Taylor (2/7)

On the women's side (info via Defiance Athletics) Amanda Tooley led the way with two top five finishes, tying teammate Samantha Higdon for third-place in the weight throw with a mark of 45-08.00. Tooley also finished fourth in the shot put with a personal-best toss of 38-05.50.

Higdon also set a personal-record in the shot put with a mark of 32-02.25, while Rachel Flad had a career-best toss of 43-05.00 in the weight throw. Laura Derov finished seventh in the shot put with a mark of 36-09.50.

Marlea Rolander finished seventh in the high jump, after clearing 4-06.00. Sophomores Courtney Lantz (pole vault) and Alex Thiel (triple jump) also recorded top ten finishes for the Jackets.

Kaitlin Switzer finished fourth in the 3000m with a time of 11:37.61, the second-ranked time in school history. Kristin Goldstein finished seventh in the 55m with a time of 7.81, while joining Lantz, Thiel and Rolander in DC’s sixth-place 4x200 meter relay team.

As for the men, DC’s sprinters had another strong meet, turning in some of the top times in the conference. Sophomore Ryan Perry ran the fastest 55m time in the conference this season, crossing the line in 6.60 to finish third. Perry was two spots ahead of freshman Blake Witherspoon, who finished in 6.65. Trey Harris narrowly missed qualifying for the finals in the 55m, running a personal-best time of 6.78.

The Jackets also had impressive performances from their relay teams. The 4x200 meter relay team of Witherspoon, Brian Badenhop, Kyle Longsdorf and Harris finished fourth with a time of 1:35.60, ranking second on DC’s all-time record list. The relay team of Seth Bidlack, Longsdorf, Witherspoon and Andrew Baker currently ranks third in the HCAC, after running a time of 3:32.58 in the 4x400m relay.

Austin Trivett continued his strong season, clearing 6-04.00 in the high jump to finish third. Jordan Weber and Trivett finished fifth and seventh in the 55m hurdles, running times of 8.37 and 8.46 respectively. Weber also competed in the triple jump, recording a leap of 39-11.75.

Tyler Reese (2:48.28) led a pack of DC runners in the 1000m, edging out teammates Justin Perkins (2:50.06) and Aaron Fraley (2:54.25). Perkins recorded a time of 9:26.86 in the 3000m, while Issac Wilkins finished 10th in the 600m with a time of 1:35.33.

Complete results for the Taylor Invite may be found here.

All-Ohio (2/14)


At the All-Ohio Championships three DC women earned All-Ohio recognition for the second consecutive year. Freshman, Marlea Rolander ran what was originally believed to be a school record-breaking performance in the 55m hurdles. Though it was later found that she is in fact second on the all-time list, her efforts highlighted the meet for the Jackets, as the freshman sprinter earned All-Ohio honors with DC’s highest finish of the day, fifth.

Amanda Tooley earned All-Ohio status in two events, finishing sixth in the weight throw (44-11.00) and seventh in the shot put (37-02.25). Samantha Higdon tallied All-Ohio honors for the third consecutive year, placing eighth in the weight throw with a toss of 43-09.75. Laura Derov and Jessica Lipstraw narrowly missed All-Ohio recognition, as Derov (35-05.00) was 10th in the shot put and Lipstraw (41-05.75) 11th in the weight throw.

Kristin Goldstein, the only other Jacket to compete in the meet, missed finals in the 55m dash by just two places, finishing 10th with a time of 7.68.

The DC men finished 12th with 14 points. Over the past two years ten athletes have now earned All-Ohio honors indoors.

Brad Zarembski topped the Jackets with a runner-up finish in the high jump. The two-time All-Ohio Outdoor Champion cleared a season-best 6-06.00, before narrowly missing at 6-07.75. Zarembski has earned All-Ohio honors at each of the past four championship events.

Austin Trivett, the only member of the men’s team to compete in multiple events, recorded a sixth-place finish in the pole vault. The Defiance, Ohio native cleared 13-11.25 on his second attempt to end up in a four-way tie for third, before falling to sixth based on attempts.

Sprinters Ryan Perry and Blake Witherspoon each earned All-Ohio recognition in the 55m dash. The two finished side-by-side in prelims, running times of 6.60 and 6.61 to qualify fifth and sixth. In the finals, Witherspoon crossed the line in 6.64 to edge Perry’s time of 6.67.

Defiance will be back in action next Saturday, February 21, when it competes in the Hoosier-Buckeye Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind. on the campus of Rose-Hulman. The meet is scheduled to get underway at 2:00 p.m.

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DC Quartet Earns Early-Season Stingers

Kaitlin Switzer, Austin Trivett, Amanda Tooley & Blake Witherspoon looking "stoic."

...'hammin' it up,' as they say.

The first Stinger's of 2009 were awarded Tuesday to a quartet of DCTF athletes who stood out from the crowd Saturday at the Findlay (Indoor) Classic.

Representing the female field events was Amanda Tooley, who had a personal-best mark of 38-04.00 in the shot put, finishing just ahead of teammates Laura Derov (37-04.50) and Samantha Higdon (33-11.05).

Kailtin Switzer repped DC's female runner's after recording the highest finish for the DC women, placing 13th in the mile with a time of 5:48.01.

Meanwhile, Blake Witherspoon made it an easy decision for male track Stinger after turning in a pair of great performances in the sprint events, finishing 11th in both the 60m (7.08) and 200m (23.17). The freshman tops the conference in both events and ranks third all-time at DC in the 200m.

Austin Trivett rounded out the Stinger quartet, leading the way for the men’s squad with a pair of top-ten performances in field events. The Defiance, Ohio native had a personal-record mark of 14-04.25 in the pole vault to clinch second-place, while clearing 6-01.50 in the high jump to end up four places behind DC teammate Brad Zarembski, who finished fourth with a mark of 6-05.50.

Read more about Saturday's action below...

story via Defiance Athletics:

FINDLAY, Ohio – The Defiance College track & field team wrapped up its first indoor meet of 2009, participating in the very competitive Findlay Classic. The meet, which did not record team scores, hosted a 2008 Olympic Medalist as well as a handful of Olympic Trials competitors.

Trey Harris recorded a time of 7.35 in the 60m and 24.27 in 200m, while Andrew Weber ran the 60m hurdles in 9.14.

Andrew Baker recorded the HCAC’s second-best time in the 400m, completing the race in 54.22.

Justin Perkins opened up his collegiate career with a time of 4:49.38 in the mile, while Seth Bidlack ran a personal-best time of 2:05.34 in the 800m.

Marlea Rolander finished 17th in the 60m hurdles with a time of 9.76, matching her time from the Oiler Opener this past December.

Kristin Goldstein (29.02) edged Rolander (29.04) in the 200m dash, as the two now rank third and fourth in the HCAC in the event.

Defiance returns to action next Saturday, February 7, when it travels to Upland, Ind. to compete in the Taylor Invitational. Events are scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.

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'Beyond the Boxscore' with Brad Zarembski

DC Junior All-American high jumper, Brad Zarembski was recently featured on Defiance Athletics.

Read the entire interview HERE.

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Trivett & the Jackets Shine @ Oiler Opener

Trivett impressed in both the pole vault and high jump.

story via Defiance Athletics:

The Defiance College men’s and women’s track and field team opened up its 2008-09 indoor schedule at Findlay University’s Oiler Opener on Friday, December 5. DC had eight individuals compete in the meet’s opening day, as only three events were completed.

The Jackets had five individuals participate in the women’s weight throw, led by junior Amanda Tooley’s throw of 45-00.25. Samantha Higdon was close behind with a toss of 44-02.00, followed by fellow juniors Jessica Lipstraw (39-03.25), Laura Derov (38-00.75) and Rachel Flad (26-03.75).

Courtney Lantz cleared a personal-best 8-06.25 in the women’s pole vault, while Alex Thiel cleared 8-00.50. Dan Rodriguez was the lone member of the men’s squad to compete, recording a toss of 35-08.00 in the men’s weight throw.

Day two's action featured Austin Trivett clearing 6-04.00 in the high jump to finish third, while also clearing 13-11.25 in the pole vault. Phil Williamson earned a fifth-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 17-08.25. Freshman Blake Witherspoon finished sixth in the men's 60m dash with a time of 7.15, while Ryan Perry had a time of 7.27. The Defiance 60m hurdles tandem of Jordan Weber (9.07) and Trivett (9.11) finished seventh and eighth respectively.

On the women's side, Marlea Rolander competed in both the 60m hurdles (9.76) and the 200m dash (29.05), while Laura Derov and Jessica Lipstraw recorded throws of 35-10.00 and 32-02.25 in the shot put. Alex Thiel led a trio of Jackets in the long jump with a leap of 14-04.00, while Courtney Lantz and Kristin Goldstein had personal-best marks of 14-01.00 and 14.00.25 respectively. Lantz and Thiel also competed in the pole vault, clearing 8-06.25 and 8-00.50 respectively.

Defiance will not compete again until January 30, when it returns to Findlay for the Findlay Classic.

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DCXC Banquet

The ladies and gents of DCXC met up Thursday night for the annual cross country banquet. Much fun was had by all.

End of season awards included...



...senior Amanda Zimmerman and a sophomore Seth Bidlack (eyes wide shut) as Great Lakes Regional Weekly Stinger recipients...



...Amanda, awarded once again, this time as the recipient of the four-year collegiate achievement award. Amanda was DCXC's lone senior--male or female.



Freshman Justin Perkins was named both the men's Most Valuable Runner as well as Most Oustanding Freshman.



Sophomore Kaitlin Switzer was named the women's Most Valuable Runner.





Sophomore's Kelly Neff and Seth Bidlack were named the men's and women's Most Improved Runner's of the season.



Courtney Swabb was awarded Most Oustanding Freshman on the women's side.

More pics from the evening soon to come in the format of yet another DCXC video. Congratulations to all athletes on an incredible fall. Now it's time to look forward to a great indoor and outdoor track & field campaign!