Wabash indoor track and field athletes Emmanuel Aouad, Geoff Lambert, Hugh Jackson, and Rob Smallman each took home individual victories in the season's opening meet at Rose-Hulman.
Aouad won the long jump with a mark of 21 feet, 1-1/2 inches. The sophomore also took first place in the triple jump with a distance of 43 feet, 3-3/4 inches. He had an opportunity to pick up a third victory after posting the best time in the prelims of the 55-meter hurdles at 7.91, 3/10th of a second faster than the rest of the field. He did not finish the finals race after suffering from the flu most of the week.
Lambert, racing on the same track he both qualified for nationals in the opening meet of 2007 and eventually finished second at the NCAA Championship meet, easily won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:00.15.
Jackson scored a first place finish in the mile run, crossing the finish line in 4:31.55. Teammate Justin Allen was third with a time of 4:37.48.
Smallman, competing in his first collegiate meet, crushed the rest of the field in the pole vault. The freshman cleared a height of 14 feet, 11 inches, beating his closest competitor by nearly six inches.
Senior Justin Sparks took third in the weight throw with a mark of 44 feet and 3/4th of an inch. Bart Banach was fourth in the 200-meter dash (23.40). Banach was joined by Mike Russell, Wes Chamblee, and Darrin Slack to take second in the 4 X 200-meter relay (1:33.00).
The Little Giants finished third out of six teams at the meet, scoring a total of 99-1/2 points. Illinois College won the meet with 147 points. Host Rose-Hulman was second (123-1/2).
Next weekend the Little Giants will play host to the Wabash Alumni Invitational at the Knowling Fieldhouse.