Four points separate Wabash and third-place Wittenberg University after the first of two days of competition at the 2006 North Coast Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The meet is being held at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.
Mike Russell earned All-Conference honors in the long jump, finishing third with a leap of 21 feet, 1-1/4 inches to score six points for Wabash. Dennis Frazee scored five more points with his fourth-place finish in the 10,000-meter run, finishing the grueling race with a time of 32:49.71. Ben Tritle and Justin Sparks both scored for Wabash in the shot put. Tritle picked up a fifth place finish with a throw of 45 feet, 1-3/4 inches, while Sparks was eighth with a final result of 43 feet, 4-1/2 inches. Keegan McLaughlin was eighth in the finals of the javelin throw (142 feet, 2 inches). Nelson Barre, who already scored four points at last weekend's NCAD Decathlon Championship with a fifth place finish, tied for sixth in the pole vault by clearing 13 feet, 3-1/2 inches.
Russell and the rest of the Little Giant sprinters dominated the qualifying races Thursday. Russell, Bart Banach, and Ja’Michael Hill posted three of the top four times in the opening round of the 100-meter dash. Banach posted the best time in the preliminary races with a mark of 11.14. Russell was third at 11.28, tied with Hill’s time of 11.28. The trio also advanced to the finals of the 200-meter dash. Banach once again set the pace with a top time of 22.40 to win his heat. Russell also won his heat with the third-best time of the session (22.57). Hill qualified for the finals with a time of 22.70, the fifth-best mark posted on the day.
Several other Little Giants advanced to Friday’s final round. Nathan Bates, the defending conference champion in the 400 meters, moved to the finals by winning his qualifying heat in that event. He crossed the finish line in 50.37, the second-best time of the session. Geoff Lambert, who won the 800-meter race at the indoor championships earlier this year, had the top time in the prelims after winning his heat with a time of 1:56.55. Tim Rickard, who just missed a spot in the 400-meter dash finals after finishing with the ninth-fastest time in the opening round, earned a place in the 400-meter hurdles race Friday after qualifying with the fourth-best time in the prelims (57.17).
Allegheny has opened up a 50-point lead after the first day. The Gators scored an impressive 92 points to take the early edge in the team scoring. Ohio Wesleyan is second (42), followed by Wittenberg (27), Wabash (23), and Wooster (21). The Little Giants were second to Allegheny in the final team score at last year’s championship meet, where head coach Rob Johnson and his staff earned NCAC Coach of the Year honors. Russell is the defending NCAC Sprinter of the Year.
The final events take place today at Selby Stadium on the Ohio Wesleyan campus.
Photos - Tim Rickard clears a hurdle earlier in the season. Rickard qualified for the 2006 NCAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships 400-meter hurdles finals.
Sports home page - Bart Banach explodes out of the starting blocks earlier this season at the Wabash Relays. Banach posted the top times in the preliminary rounds of the 100- and 200-meter dashes.