The Observer, January 27, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 14
Track stand-outs shine at Baldwin Wallace
The Case men's track team had a solid showing in their first meet of the year, with four men coming away with victories. The women also had a strong showing with three total first place finishes and one second.
Both the men and women were pleased with their performances last weekend at the Baldwin Wallace College Invitational.
"I think our team did exquisitely at our first meet," Kristen Bowhers said. "We had many top three place finishers and the strengths of the various aspects of our team helps to earn points in all aspects of track and field."
"The team looked good for this early in the season," Alex Drollinger said. "We did very well in many events and everyone seemed to have a good time. I hope we can keep these kinds of performances coming."
"We did very well and probably won the meet but it wasn't scored," agreed Paul Hannen. "Hopefully we aren't like the Browns in pre-season!"
At the invitational, Esther Erb won two of the women's three victories, finishing first in both the one-mile and 3000-meter races. She finished the 3000-meter a full 54 seconds faster than her nearest competitor.
The women had other standout performers as well. Rebecca Moore finished first in the 500-meter run. Bowhers also finished second in the 1000-meter, and Elyse Shearer finished third.
For the men, Stephen Hrinda, Aaron Johnston-Peck, Chris Molnar, and Alex Drollinger all came in first. Hrinda and Johnston-Peck won their distance events, the 3000-meter and one-mile, respectively. Johnston-Peck also took third in the 1000-meter. In middle distance, Molnar won the 800-meter race by nearly two seconds. Drollinger won the weight throw and also finished third in the shot put.
The men had some other good performances. Desmond Ellis finished third in the 55-meter dash finals, and Derrick Moore took fourth in the high jump. In the 3000-meter dash, the Case men took fourth through eighth place.
The team is looking forward to the rest of the season, but most are disappointed that the men's and women's team are separate entities.
"Unfortunately, four or five athletes have been forced into situations where they feel they are unable to succeed, on both sides of the split," Drollinger said. "Some have even quit, opting not to deal with it. I feel very bad for the athletes that have worked so hard for so long only to have their momentum pulled from them by something they had absolutely no control over."
Rebecca Moore echoed Drollinger's sentiments.
"It's actually nice having the two practice times staggered because otherwise the track gets too crowded," Moore said. "Socially, having the two teams separated is disappointing because given the chance, I think the teams could mesh really well, and when that happens people tend to stick around because they're having fun. They work harder because they care more. So in that way it affects performance."
Harmonie Foster sees multiple sides to the situation.
"A lot of the girls on the team are either freshmen or this is their first year running," Foster said. "For them it probably only slightly affects them because they may have been used to working with guys but not these guys. For the rest of us, especially the sprinters, we have been working out with guys and with the coaches for years. So some of us are sad or even upset about the split, but I doubt it will affect our performances – I believe we will just use what we learned from our past experiences and our new ones and work hard."
Despite problems some runners have with the organization, the team has high expectations.
"I think we can break a lot records, get a good place at indoor and outdoor championships, and become more united as a team than we have been in the past," Foster said.
"I feel the men's team is strong this year and can accomplish a great deal," Drollinger said. "The only thing that will hold them back is their belief in themselves. We have the talent to do quite a bit."
Both coaches see success in the teams' future.
"We are strong in the mid/distance, some of the sprints and jumps and we actually have hurdlers this year," Coach Lanese said. "Our lack of depth in many areas makes us weak in big competitions."
Coach Harris also mentioned depth as an area that the team needs to address. At this point though, he said that the coaching staff is still moving around athletes to find which event is best for them.
"We're trying to find where runners fit and find what is best for the athlete," Harris said. "Our number one goal is a good athletic experience for the athletes."
The coaches said that the number and diversity of events of which track encompasses makes the team special. Coach Harris added that the diversity of athletes themselves, coming from many different countries and background, makes the team unique.
The team's first home meet is this weekend at Veale at noon.
