The Wittenberg University Men's and Women's Track & Field teams didn't win any championships during the 2001 indoor season, but the lack of hardware isn't an accurate indicator of how successful the Tigers' season was. The women set seven school records and three athletes made the All-North Coast Athletic Conference team, while the men posted four school records and five athletes made the All-NCAC.
The strength of the Tiger women's squad was in the middle distance and distance running events, where a pack of young athletes set and re-set several records during the indoor campaign. Leading the charge was sophomore Abi Gerstle (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) , who built on her NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships appearance last fall by winning the 1500-meter run at the NCAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Gerstle crossed the finish line in 4:46.45, more than three seconds ahead of the nearest competitor, to claim the team's only individual crown.
Junior Sarah Weide (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) also earned a pair of All-NCAC honors with her third-place finish in the 1500, in which she crossed the line in 4:52.20, and a second place in the 800, in which she broke her own school record with a time of 2:19.97. In addition, freshman Kelly Zilli (Dayton, Ohio/Archbishop Alter) was all-conference with a third-place finish in the 800 in a time of 2:22.29.
In terms of school records, Zilli set the mark in the 500 (1:21.37) at the Ohio Northern Invitational, and she was one of three pole vaulters - the others being senior Amy Sonnanstine (Plymouth, Mich./Canton) and sophomore LaRissa O'Neal (Indianapolis, Ind./Broad Ripple) - to establish a new standard of 9-1/4. Weide set a record in the 600 with a time of 1:39.79 at the DePauw Invitational, and she joined with Zilli to set two relay records - the 1600 relay and the distance medley relay. In each race, Weide and Zilli were joined by Gerstle and freshman Kristen Mumper (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian).
Finally, sophomore Erin Zayicek (Solon, Ohio/Solon) posted a mark of 34-feet, 9-inches in the 20-pound weight throw to establish a new standard.
"The women really had a great indoor season," said Head Coach Steve Shutt, who is in his second season at Wittenberg. "I'm really encouraged by the way they performed."
On the men's side, freshman Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) was an individual winner in the NCAC Championships as he claimed the 55-meter hurdles title in a time of 7.98. Joining him as All-NCAC were the four members of the 1600 relay - freshman Demetrius Ellison (Cleveland, Ohio/Garfield Heights Trinity) , freshman Matt Frost (South Vienna, Ohio/Southeastern) , freshman Alex Yurovitsky (Richmond Heights, Ohio/Richmond Heights) and sophomore Mark Trempe (Springfield, Ohio/Greenon) - who finished second at the conference meet in a time of 3:30.43.
In terms of records, Ellison set a school record in the 200-meter dash, posting a time of 23.16 in the preliminaries at the NCAC Championships. Junior Tony Pelletiere (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) blistered the track in the 800 in a time of 1:59.20 at the Butler Invitational. Sophomore Joel Drake (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) established a new standard in the 35-pound weight with a mark of 44-8. And senior Josh Guerreri (Avon, Ohio/Avon) , who performed an NCAA Division III provisional standard last year in the decathlon, put up a school record point total of 3309 in the pentathlon.
Heading into the spring outdoor season, Shutt says he is pleased with the progress his athletes have made already this year. "Most of our athletes put up their best numbers at the end of the season, which is what you strive to do," Shutt said.
The outdoor season could be even better as the team's gain the services of several athletes who competed on other winter and fall teams. They will frequently be competing on the Tigers' home track as Wittenberg hosts its own invitational March 30, the Wittenberg Quad April 12, the Wittenberg Open April 27 and the NCAC Heptathlon/Decathlon April 28-29.