Thirteen Wabash athletes advanced to the Saturday finals of the 2010 North Coast Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship Meet at Denison University. The Little Giants posted three top-six finishes Friday to take third place in the team scoring after one day.
Senior Emmanuel Aouad finished in third place in the triple jump with a leap of 13.91 meters (45 feet, 7-3/4 inches) to score six points for Wabash while earning All-Conference honors. Zach Helman captured sixth place in the shot put (13.51 meters; 44 feet, 4 inches), while Justin Allen finished sixth in the 5,000-meter run (15:25.23).
Four Little Giants advanced to the finals of the 400-meter dash. Wes Chamblee posted the second-fastest qualifying time by finishing in 50.48. Jake Zielinski's time of 51.06 was the sixth fastest in the field, while Spencer Sheridan crossed the finish line in 51.82 for the eight-quickest time. Garett Bonk grabbed the final spot in Saturday's field by posting the ninth-best time of 52.08.
Aouad will be joined by John Haley and Patrick Posthauer in the 55-meter hurdles final. Aouad turned in the best time in Friday's prelims at 7.73, also hitting the NCAA Division III provisional qualifying time. Haley's time of 8.21 was the sixth fastest among the field, while Posthauer finished in 8.45 for the eighth-best time.
Jake Waterman and Kevin McCarthy were 1-2 in the 800-meter run prelims. Waterman's time of 1:55.06 was the fastest of the field, while McCarthy finished with the second-fastest time at 1:55.91.
Devin Kelley was fifth in the 55-meter dash preliminaries with a time of 6.72 to earn a berth in Saturday's finals. He'll race with teammate Austin Hodges, who had the eighth-best time Friday at 6.78.
Zielinski and Sheridan will compete in Saturday's 200-meter dash finals. Zielinski's time of 23.04 was the sixth best in the field, while Sheridan had the eighth-best time at 23.21.
Wabash scored a total of 23 points at the end of Friday's competition. Ohio Wesleyan leads the team scoring with 36 points, while Allegheny stands second with 28 points. Oberlin is fourth with 21 points, while Earlham (15), Wooster (13), Wittenberg (12), Kenyon (5), and Denison (3) round out the standings.