Entering the meet, Coach Rob Johnson was somewhat uncertain about how his team would perform because certain athletes were not competing in their usual events and others were hampered by injury. However, the Wabash track and field team performed admirably at the North Coast Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 2 and 3, 2007.
The Little Giants finished third in the meet, scoring 100.50 points. Allegheny defended its title by scoring 159 points, 62 of which were scored on the first day of the meet in only three events. Ohio Wesleyan earned the second-place finish, scoring 114 points.
“We gambled with our line-up and did not run some of our better athletes in multiple events,” Coach Rob Johnson said. “Despite the conservative line-up we finished third, not far away from [Ohio Wesleyan].”
Junior Geoff Lambert was the top performer for Wabash at the Championships. He won the 800-meter run in a new NCAC record and NCAA automatic qualifying time of 1:52.72. He also ran as the anchor leg on the victorious 4x400-meter relay, which also set a new NCAC record with a time of 3:24.91. Lambert’s performances earned him recognition from the conference as the Mid-distance/Distance Runner of the Year.
“Lambert did what was asked of him and more,” Coach Johnson said.
While Lambert had a stellar meet, several of his teammates also turned in superb performances. Freshman Emmanuel Aouad, who was dealt with injury during the meet, continued his success. However, unlike in past meets, he left the outcome uncertain until the very end.
In the long jump, Aouad had the longest jump of the trials. However, during the finals his mark was surpassed by a competitor. Aouad waited until his final jump - the final jump of the entire competition – to plant himself 21’11.50” from the board, which gave him back the lead and thus first place in the long jump.
The 55-meter high hurdles proved very similar for Aouad. After the trials, he had the best time by .13 seconds. However, in the finals, the competition was right with Aouad throughout the race. To the naked eye it was unclear who had won, but upon review of the automatic timing system, Aouad was declared the winner by .01 seconds.
“E-man came through, sore groin and all,” Coach Johnson said. “That Little Giant stood tall.”
Junior Bart Banach was another individual champion for the Little Giants. A former champion in the 55-meter dash, Banach competed in the 400-meter dash. After qualifying fourth and earning a spot in the fast section of the finals, Banach used his closing speed in the final 55 meters to win by .35 seconds. His time of 50.49 seconds was almost a second and a half faster than the time he had run in the preliminaries. Junior Mike Russell also competed in the 400-meter dash but was tripped up during the finals and finished ninth. Russell and Banach also ran on the winning 4x400-meter relay team.
In the mile run, sophomore Hugh Jackson ran with the leaders through much of the race but was unable to maintain. Nevertheless, he still managed a time of 4:25.63 and a sixth-place finish. Senior Dennis Frazee earned a seventh-place finish in the 3000-meter run. He finished in a time of 9:00.13. In the distance medley relay, freshmen John Henry, Chris Schweigel, and Micah Milliman teamed with junior Tim Rickard to run 11:00.19 in the two and a half mile race, which earned them sixth place.
In the 200-meter dash, junior Richard Roomes barely advanced to the finals, qualifying by a mere tenth of a second. Roomes took advantage of his opportunity though, running his way to a sixth-place finish. In the 55-meter dash, sophomore Bobby Kimp qualified for the finals. However, due to an injury he was unable to compete.
“It would have been interesting to see Bobby mix it up in the finals,” Coach Johnson said. “But he’s been beat up and now he just needs to follow his rehab.”
While Lambert was winning the 800, senior Nathan Bates was battling for the second spot. He used his closing speed in the last lap to give himself a chance to out-lean his competitor, which he did. His time of 1:56.55 was only .15 seconds faster than third place. Bates also ran on the winning 4x400-meter relay team.
The field events, which had proven the weakest area for Wabash throughout the indoor season, saw some excellent performances. In addition to Aouad’s victory in the long jump, the Little Giants scored in every other field event.
In the pole vault, junior Nelson Barre finished sixth with a vault of 13’00”. In the triple jump, Emmanuel Aouad earned another sixth-place finish for the Little Giants with a jump of 42’09.50”. In the shot put, senior Ben Tritle brought home a fifth-place finish with his throw of 46’03.50”.
The Little Giants had hoped to dominate the high jump – an event which has recently proven quite weak in the NCAC - by qualifying five individuals for the event. However, only three Wabash athletes competed, but they all scored. Mike Russell and sophomore Andrew Rode tied for third place with jumps of 6’01.00”. Chris Schweigel finished sixth with a jump of 5’08.00”.
The 4x200-meter relay, which had been dominated by the Little Giants as of late, was one of the closest races of the weekend. Every member of the team – Bart Banach, Richard Roomes, Emmanuel Aouad, and Mike Russell – ran excellent legs. However, a blown handoff between Roomes and Aouad put Wabash in a bad position. However, Aouad gained some ground on the competition before handing off to Russell, who ran like a man possessed. Coming from nearly 25 meters behind, Russell caught the sprinter from Ohio Wesleyan as they came down the home stretch. However, Russell could not fully overcome the handicap and was edged at the line by .03 seconds.
The Little Giants open their outdoor season this Saturday when they host the annual Wabash Relays. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.