Tigers Finish Out Strong NCAC Outdoor Championship Meet

Laike Wallace won the 400-meter hurdles to help the Tigers to a fifth-place finish at the 2014 NCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship Meet on Saturday. File Photo | Erin Pence
Laike Wallace won the 400-meter hurdles to help the Tigers to a fifth-place finish at the 2014 NCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship Meet on Saturday. File Photo | Erin Pence

OBERLIN, Ohio – The Wittenberg track and field teams had another successful North Coast Athletic Conference outdoor championships, with plenty of individual highlights among fifth-place finishes for the men among nine teams and the women among eight teams.

The Tiger women had a bevy of notable results, starting with three new school records and one new NCAC record.

The 4x400 relay team of freshman Frankie Bowsher (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln), freshman Alaina Longshore (Columbus, Ohio/Franklin Heights), sophomore Brea Medlock (Galena, Ohio/Big Walnut) and freshman Aliyah Myers (McCordsville, Ind./Mt. Vernon) took the title in the event on a time of 3:53.69, which broke the Wittenberg (2010) and NCAC (2013) records.

The same team of runners also broke the school record, set last year, in the 4x100 relay, finishing third on a time of 48.95 seconds.

Medlock grabbed a third school record by breaking her own mark in the 200-meter dash, placing third in the event on a time of 25.62 seconds. Medlock went on to add a third-place finish in the 400-meter dash to her All-NCAC resume, crossing the finish line in 58.28 seconds.

Senior Beverly Ochieng (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) placed second in the triple jump for All-NCAC honors on a distance of 10.83 meters, and sophomore Becah Delp (York, Pa./Eastern York) also secured a second-place finish in the high jump at 1.58 meters.

Rounding out the women's All-NCAC honorees was junior Jeanette Klamfoth (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) in third place in the 400-meter hurdles on a time of 1:05.63.

Other top finishes for the Tiger women included that of sophomore Jordan Crow (North Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde), who finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles, and senior Angela Roll (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto), who finished fourth in the high jump. Longshore added a fourth-place finish in the 400-meter dash.

On the men's side, two Tigers claimed individual conference titles today, including junior Justin Yates (Dayton, Ohio/Bellbrook) in the 400-meter dash on a time of 48.33 seconds, and sophomore Laike Wallace (Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington) in the 400-meter hurdles on a time of 53.44.

Wallace and Yates each ran on the third-place 4x400-meter relay, which ran a time of 3:21.95 on the way to All-NCAC honors. They were joined by senior Chris Frierson (Dallas, Texas/DeSoto) and freshman Cody Shutt (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), who pulled double duty by helping the 4x100-meter relay team to a third-place finish as well, teaming up with sophomore Aaron Melsop (Westerville, Ohio/DeSales) and sophomore Justin Fisher (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll).

Fisher also added a fourth-place finish in the triple jump.

In all, the Tiger track and field teams claimed five NCAC titles over the weekend. They include:

Women:
4x400-meter relay: Frankie Bowsher, Alaina Longshore, Brea Medlock, Aliyah Myers - 3:53.69
Becah Delp, long jump - 5.11 meters

Men:
Justin Yates, 400-meter dash - 48.33 seconds
Laike Wallace, 400-meter hurdles - 53.44 seconds
Aaron Melsop, long jump - 6.92 meters

The Tigers collected a total of 13 All-NCAC, which included the above champions and the following second and third-place finishes:

Women:
4x100-meter relay: Alaina Longshore, Aliyah Myers, Frankie Bowsher, Brea Medlock - 3rd, 48.95 seconds
Brea Medlock, 200-meter dash – 3rd, 25.62 seconds
Brea Medlock, 400-meter dash – 3rd, 58.28 seconds
Beverly Ochieng, triple jump – 2nd, 10.83 meters
Becah Delp, high jump – 2nd, 1.58 meters
Jeanette Klamfoth, 400 hurdles – 3rd, 1:05.63

Men:
4x100-meter relay: Chris Frierson, Cody Shutt, Justin Fisher, Aaron Melsop - 3rd, 43.01 seconds
4x400-meter relay: Laike Wallace, Chris Frierson, Justin Yates, Cody Shutt - 3rd, 3:21.95

 

John Strawn '07