Greencastle, Indiana – The Wittenberg University Men's & Women's Indoor Track & Field squads combined for 32 total top-eight finishes, including one individual event title, as both teams finished in the top half of their respective standings on Saturday (2/16) at the DePauw University Indoor Classic in Indiana.
The men's team finished fifth out of 13 total teams with 67.50 points, while host DePauw won the team title with 111.50 points. In women's action, the Tigers finished sixth out of 12 total teams with 63 points, with Illinois Wesleyan claiming the team championship with 125 points.
After posting a time of 9.51 seconds in the prelims of the women's 60-meter hurdles, sophomore Ryelee Clary picked up the lone victory of the day for the Tigers in the finals after breaking the tape in the event with a season-best time of 9.44 seconds. The Tigers got third-place finishes from three additional female athletes, including sophomore Hannah Eley in the weight throw (14.67 meters), freshman Jacquelyn Hayes in the 400-meter dash (1:02.25) and sophomore Marteana Newton in the 600-meter run (1:50.68). Newton was joined in the 600-meter run by three of her teammates, with sophomore Cymone Horton finishing fifth (1:55.65), freshman Maxine Wishman placing sixth (1:55.69) and junior Madison Nadler checking in eighth with a time of 1:58.96. A pair of runners posted fourth-place showings on the day, including freshman Elizabeth Canright in the 5,000-meter run (19:44.83) and freshman Alexis Walker in the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.22 seconds. Freshman Kat Combs, who finished eighth in the weight throw with a toss of 10.89 meters, earned a fifth-place finish for the Tigers in the shotput competition with a heave of 10.10 meters. Eley also tied for seventh in the women's shot put after marking a distance of 9.69 meters. Finally, freshman Stevie Plikerd posted her top time of the season in the 200-meter dash of 28.09 seconds to finish seventh overall, while sophomore Alexis Johnson tied for seventh in the women's high jump event with a season-best effort of 1.40 meters. The Wittenberg women also posted a fourth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 4:44.67.
While the bulk of the women's team was in action at the DePauw Classic, junior Alexis Gray proved that she is one of the top mid-distance runners in the state, regardless of division, as she finished third out of 43 total runners at the Kent State Tune-Up on Saturday with a time of 2:19.92. That time is not only a season-best clocking for Gray, but also the top time posted by an NCAC athlete in the event this season.
On the men's side, the Tigers combined for 17 total top-eight finishes in the Hoosier state, led by freshman Jack Chambers placing second in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:43.03, and the 4x400-meter relay team finishing second overall to conclude the meet with a time of 3:35.83. A trio of men's athletes posted third-place finishes on the day, including senior Kyle Farnbauch in the 60-meter hurdles (8.62 seconds), sophomore David Haake in the 400-meter run (52.34) and freshman Travis Mentzer in the 600-meter run (1:34.63). Three additional Wittenberg men's runners picked up key team points in the 600-meter run, with the trio of sophomore Caleb Austin, freshman Hunter Tichenor and sophomore Zach Guyer placing fourth (1:37.88), fifth (1:40.21) and sixth (1:46.40), respectively. A pair of runners posted season-best times in the 60-meter dash, with sophomore Maurice Graham finishing fifth in 7.29 seconds and senior Matt Entsminger placing eighth with a time of 7.42 seconds. Three more men's runners added eighth-place showings on the day, including Farnbauch in the 200-meter dash (23.87), junior Garrin Bachinski in the 60-meter hurdles (9.12 seconds) and sophomore Austyn Albanese in the 400-meter run (53.37). Wittenberg also had a strong showing in the men's field events, led by freshman Paul Varnadoe earning a pair of top-eight finishes, first finishing fourth in the high jump at a height of 1.73 meters, before placing fifth in the triple jump with a combined leap of 12.01 meters. Finally, senior D'Anthony Dorsey finished sixth overall in the weight throw with a toss of 14.81 meters, while junior Jonathan Seay checked in at seventh in the shot put competition after tossing the rock 13.28 meters.
The Tigers will have one last tune up for the 2019 NCAC Indoor Track & Field Championships next Saturday (2/23) as they return to the state of Indiana for the Anderson University Fred Wilt Invitational. The 2019 NCAC Indoor Track & Field Championships will then be contested the following weekend, March 1-2, at the College of Wooster in Northeast Ohio.