GRANVILLE, Ohio — In an early season litmus test, the Tiger men's and women's track and field team passed the evaluation with strong showings at the North Coast Athletic Conference Relays. The women took the runner-up spot, while the men claimed fifth.
The Tiger women battled defending conference champion Ohio Wesleyan in every event, with Head Coach Craig Penney's women taking top spot in both the 5,000-meter relay and the 4x200 meter relay. A duo of freshmen led the way in the 5K, as freshmen Mary Pfeifer (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and Anna Henry (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) took top spot with a combined time of 38:50.38.
The 4x200 relay, composed of three freshmen and a senior, edged the field with a stellar time of 1:50.27, winning by just over two tenths of a second. Freshmen Kari Domiano (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome), Tim'ara Gandy (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline)and Catherine Kuerbitz (Cleveland, Ohio/Regina) joined senior Katie Shoemaker (Arcanum, Ohio/Franklin Monroe) on the winning relay.
With the second-place finish, the women took their best finish at the NCAC Relays since winning the crown back in 1997.
On the men's side, their fifth-place mark was the best for the Tigers since 2006. A runner-up sprint medley meter relay aided the men to their solid finish, with seniorManny Lamarre (Miami, Fla./Bellen Jesuit) guiding teammates senior Jimmy Thinnes (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle), freshman Ryan Hagen (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) and freshman Mohamed Mansaray (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge)to a time of 3:41.59, which was good for a school record.
In the shot put relay, the Tigers received third place points from the combined effort of 26.63 meters from sophomore Nic Radel (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview Heights)and junior Mat Guida (LaGrange, Ky./Oldham County).
The Tigers return after the unique-oriented meet for the Capital Invitational and the All-Ohio Championships on the weekend of Feb. 13-14.
Written By: Ben Bradley, SID Assistant