The Observer, March 30, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 22
Obinna Nwanna places first in high jump
click to enlarge
Track is a notoriously tough sport. The Muskingum College Invitational Tournament last Saturday was especially grueling. The 17-hour day included over four hours of travel time, with buses leaving for central Ohio at 6 a.m. The day also featured several victories by Spartan athletes. The men's track and field team tied for third out of a field of 14 teams, and the women's squad finished sixth out of 12 teams at the tournament.
Obinna Nwanna placed first in the high jump, leaping 1.93 meters, a personal record. He also finished third in the triple jump, with a distance of 12.61 meters, setting another personal record.
"I felt good that day," he said. "Jumping usually gives me really bad shin splints, but the last time I jumped was over two weeks ago in Boston, so my legs were fresh. I started tripling three meets ago, so each meet is like a learning experience. I'm happy with my jump, but I think there is still room for improvement with more practice."
Senior Stephen Hrinda finished second in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:02.87. Mount Union's Ryan Garro won the event with a time of 3:57.49. Ryan Gjoraas took third in the 5000-meter run and Mike Petro placed fourth.
"I was happy with how I did. It made me more confident since I achieved a time that was three seconds within my personal record," Gjoraas said. "Mike Petro and I definitely raced well together, and that's what it's all about."
Mike Werneiwski placed fourth in the steeplechase, an event he had never run before, rounding out a quality effort by the men's distance team. Overall, the men scored 64 points. Mount Union won the tournament with 224 points.
Sophomore Britta Kumley finished second in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:57.79. "In the 1500 we went out fast, ran for position the next two laps, then finished pretty hard," Kumley said. "I was happy with the race for how sore my legs were, coming off of two hard weeks of practice and not having done much pace work since the end of indoor. I got a solid time that I can build off of, and scored some points for the team, so I'm happy."
Kristen Bowhers placed second in the 5000-meter run with a time of 19:35.77 seconds. "I wasn't at all happy with how I did," said Bowhers.
Elizabeth Ehrke placed second in the discus, throwing 39.56 meters.
"I got second place in the discus, which I am very happy with," she said. "For the first meet of the outdoor season I did very well. I am doing much better than this time last year. I am about seven feet from my best throw and about nine feet away from going to nationals, so I am in a very good place at this time in the season."
Freshman Whitney Horne also posted a second place finish in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.46 seconds.
"The team did very well, with multiple second place finishes," Ehrke said. "There were many freshman and sophomores that placed, which shows that we will have a very strong team in the future. I believe we are stronger outdoor than indoor, and everyone is happy to be outdoors."
