GRANVILLE, Ohio - The Wittenberg men's and women's track and field teams piled up the points in Day 2 of the 2009 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Indoor Championships, with the women scoring in all but three events en route to 83 points and a fourth-place finish. For the men, big performances in the field and in the relays parlayed into 55 points and a sixth place mark, a one spot improvement over last year's championships.
With a well-rounded meet, Tiger senior Erik Larkin (Cincinnati, Ohio/Country Day)bolstered his already impressive resume by being named NCAC Field Performer of the Year. His school record in the triple jump aside, Larkin finished as a three-time All-NCAC performer on the weekend, taking the Tigers' only individual championship honor in the men's long jump with a jump of 22' 0.25". To cap it off, Larkin added a third-place finish in the high jump, elevating over 6'.
The Tigers added All-NCAC performances in the women's 4x400 relay, a third-place finish in 4:12.93. The quartet of Samantha Iden (Pickertington, Ohio/North),Catherine Kuerbitz (Cleveland, Ohio/Regina), Jordan Stafford (Springfield, Ohio/Greenon), and Meredith Kirby (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville), all freshmen, took home the collective honor. Meanwhile, the 4x200 meters placed one spot better for the women and added another All-NCAC recognition, with an end time of 1:50.63. Kirby and Kuerbitz joined another freshman duo of Tim'ara Gandy (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline) and Kari Domiano (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) in the runner-up spot. Domiano and Gandy also placed fourth and fifth respectively in the 55 meter dash. To cap off the afternoon, Kuerbitz also took an All-NCAC honor in the 400 dash, running a time of 1:00.72 to take the runner-up spot.
In the field events, freshman Evianne van de Zande (Zierikzee, The Netherlands)claimed third in the high jump, clearing 4' 9.75".
Strong performances from the men came in the 55 meter dash from Manny Lamarre (Miami, Fla./Bellen Jesuit), whose time of 6.71 earned him fourth in the league. Lamarre joined a trio of teammates in the All-NCAC men's 4x400 meter relay with a third place time of 3:27.72. Fellow seniors Mark King (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) and Jimmy Thinnes (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) paired with freshman Mohamed Mansaray (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) for the honor.
The Tigers now turn their focus to the outdoor season, when they kick off their season on Saturday, March 21, at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.
Written by: Ben Bradley, SID Assistant