Season Outlook

Chris Jones

After a record-breaking 2008 season, Craig Penney has his Wittenberg men's track and field team set for a push toward the upper echelon of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings in 2009. A seventh-place finish indoors, improved upon by a sixth-place finish outdoors in 2008, has the Tigers primed for another step forward this spring. 

A deep senior class, with contributors in nearly every discipline, has the Tigers focused on their goals, highlighted by the return of all-conference performer Erik Larkin (Cincinnati, Ohio/Country Day), who competes in the triple jump, long jump and high jump. In 2008, Larkin set a school record in the triple jump at 44 feet and 10.75 inches. He figures to be a key factor for the Tiger jumpers as he scored in all three jumping events at the 2008 NCAC Indoor meet.

Also coming off of a record breaking year is middle-distance runner Gabe Savage (Lewisburg, Ohio/Tri-County North), who set the new Wittenberg 800-meter indoor mark at 1:57.89 en route to a fourth-place finish in the indoor meet. Savage leads a middle distance pack that also set a school-record in the distance medley relay at the 2008 All-Ohio Championships with a time of 10:28.94. Sophomore Andrew Carter (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) is another standout to watch in the middle distance events.

Leading the distance squad for the Tigers are sophomore cross country standoutsKevin Frick (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview), Daniel Whonsetler (Prospect, Ky./Sacred Heart) and Matt Overturf (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Benjamin Logan). Wittenberg will look to parlay their most successful cross country season in almost a decade into points in a very deep NCAC distance running field.

In the sprints, Wittenberg welcomes senior leader Manny Lamarre (Miami, Fla./Bellen Jesuit) back after he missed the 2008 season to study in Washington, D.C. Fellow senior Mark King (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) and junior Chris Jones (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) figure prominently into Penney's plans in the various sprint events, hurdles and relays.

Senior Ryan Resides (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) will play a prominent role in the throwing events, coming off a season in which he finished third in the javelin in the NCAC. He will be joined in the throwing events by junior football standoutMat Guida (LaGrange, Ky./Oldham County) as well as sophomores Robert Kehl (Coshocton, Ohio/Coshocton) and Nic Radel (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview Heights).

In the multi-event, junior Tim Uher (Granville, Ohio/Pickerington North) comes off a year in which he scored points in the decathlon at the outdoor conference meet.

The roster has been bolstered by an outstanding recruiting class, a group hungry to take the next step this winter and spring in the NCAC Indoor and Outdoor championship meets.