Tim Gaal
The Tiger men's and women's track and field teams continued to
perform well as the 2003 season winds toward a conclusion. In the
first competition of the NCAC Outdoor Championships, Wittenberg
captured big points in the decathlon and heptathlon events held at
the Earl F. Morris Track facility.
Junior Tim Gaal (Amanda, Ohio/Clearcreek) became
the third different Wittenberg athlete to win the decathlon in the
last five years and extended the Tigers' domination in the event to
five straight years. Josh Guerreri was a three-time champion in the
event from 1999-2001 and Brian Gehle won the event a year ago while
Gaal captured second place.
Gaal's mark of 6,101 points met the NCAA Division III provisional
qualifying standard. It was the third straight year that the
Wittenberg decathlon champion met that mark. Guerreri went on to
compete in the national championship event in 2001.
On the women's side, junior Geri Woessner (Dayton,
Ohio/Oakwood) had a bittersweet finish to her weekend. The
two-time defending champion in the heptathlon, Woessner was
dethroned by a narrow margin by Hiram senior Emma Brown, who posted
4,184 points to meet the NCAA Division III provisional standard.
While Woessner was disappointed to have missed out on a third
consecutive heptathlon crown, her outstanding finish was still a
significant achievement since she suffered a severe knee injury
during the 2002 women's soccer season and is just now rounding back
into form after missing all but four games during the basketball
season.
Sophomore Ayisha Kinamore (Cincinnati,
Ohio/Colerain) also competed in the heptathlon and scored
points for the Tigers as a team. She finished fourth in her first
year competing in the grueling two-day competition.
Junior Skip Ivery (Columbus,
Ohio/Groveport-Madison) was again the man to beat in the
hurdles events Wednesday night at a meet hosted by Otterbein. Ivery
won both the 110-meter high hurdles and the 400-meter intermediate
hurdles, the latter in a personal best time. Junior Alex
Yurovitsky (Richmond Heights, Ohio/Lyndhurst Brush) posted
a personal best in the javelin as he won that event in a Saturday
meet hosted by Otterbein, the same meet in which freshman
Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown)
captured first place in both the triple jump and the 100 meters. In
addition, freshman Braden Freeman (Prospect, Ohio/Marion
Pleasant) finished second in the long jump on Saturday at
Otterbein with a mark that was just one-quarter inch off his
personal best.
On the women's side, junior Kristen Mumper (Cincinnati,
Ohio/Purcell Marian) posted personal best marks in the 200
meters and the long jump at the Saturday Otterbein meet, and she
captured first place in the triple jump. In addition, senior
Abi Gerstle (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) placed won
the steeplechase at the Otterbein Wednesday night meet with a time
of 11:47.47.
Ivery, Gerstle and Gaal were all named NCAC Athlete of the Week for
their performances.
The Tigers head into this weekend's conference championship meet at
Ohio Wesleyan with high hopes. The men are the defending team
champions and are the highest ranked NCAC team in the latest
regional and national power rankings. The women are also the
highest ranked NCAC team in the latest regional and national power
rankings, and they will be attempting to improve upon last year's
fifth-place finish. With greater depth on this year's squad,
improvement can definitely be expected.
Next: 5/2-3 NCAC Championships
Hosted by Ohio Wesleyan