The Observer, April 27, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 26
Horne, Hrinda excel in Atlanta
click to enlarge
Between March 31 and the UAA Conference Championships on April 20, the track and field team was unable to compete. Every week a meet was scheduled and every week that meet was snowed out. "The snow hurt our team because we didn't have as many competitions as the rest of the schools which put us at a disadvantage going into the meet," said senior Emily Bruckner.
Snow wasn't a problem at the UAA tournament, which was held at Emory University in Atlanta. "It was hot in Atlanta," said head coach Dennis Harris. "I warned the kids about the adjustments they'd have to make because of the heat."
Although the elements made preparation for the meet difficult, many Spartans turned in outstanding performances. The men's team placed fifth out of a field of seven teams, scoring 79.33 points; first place Carnegie Mellon garnered 168. The women's team also finished fifth with 74 points. Washington University dominated, placing first with 221 points. "They [Washington University] have better talent. They're the powerhouse of the conference," said Harris.
Still, Harris was pleased with his team's effort. "Everyone that we took down there gave their best effort. We had a three week layoff and we went to Emory and we set personal records, school records, and conference records."
Sophomore Elizabeth Ehrke had an outstanding meet, placing second in the discus. She broke her own school record as well as the UAA mark, but her UAA record was short lived. A little later, the University of Chicago's Claire Ray threw the discus over one meter further. Still, Ehrke's throw provisionally qualified her for the NCAA Division III Championships. "I am very happy with my performance and I'm going to keep training hard for nationals," said Ehrke. "The field improved dramatically from last year. I won the discus last year with a throw that was about four feet less than I threw this year. There was some very good competition this year."
The women's 4x100-meter relay team also set a school record and placed second, behind the University of Chicago. The team of Whitney Horne, Sheree Collins, Danielle Kendeigh, and Emily Bruckner eclipsed the previous mark by almost one second. Collins, a sophomore, hadn't competed in track before this year and Bruckner has spent most of the outdoor season recovering from a hamstring injury she suffered during the indoor season. "That race was something you can't put a price tag on," said Harris. Collins, the first leg of the team, set the tone. "We had to put in a lot of work to make sure everything was perfect, since every second counts in that race. One mistake could cost us," said Collins. "Everything flowed naturally. We were all in sync with one another and we had good handoffs."
"I could not have been happier with the way we all worked together and performed in the end," said Bruckner.
Horne, the anchor of the relay team, was conference champion in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.64 seconds. "I knew that if I didn't win the 100 then I wasn't running to my full potential. No one there was better than me and definitely no one worked harder than I did. It was up to me to prove that," said Horne. According to Harris, Horne has a good chance to be both UAA indoor and outdoor track Rookie of the Year. "That's something that hasn't happened in a long time," said Harris.
Britta Kumley, a sophomore, placed second in the 1500-meter run, achieving a personal best time of 4:49.80. To prepare for the heat in Atlanta, the distance squad "heat trained." "Basically, our coach made us practice in way too much clothing for the weather," said Kumely. Esther Erb, the top women's distance runner, was unable to travel to Atlanta due to academic commitments.
The men's distance team performed well. Leading the effort was Stephen Hrinda, who won his third UAA title in the 5000-meter run. Ryan Gjoraas scored for the Spartans, placing sixth in the 10,000-meter run.
The throws team remained a consistent source of points for the men's team. Senior Pat Benasutti took third in the hammer throw with a distance of 47.67 meters. Benasutti's second throw was the one that earned him third place. "The rest of my throws in the finals were fouls because I was trying so hard to throw farther"he said.
Junior Andrew Pozzuto placed third in the javelin throw. Pozzuto was ranked ninth coming into the meet. Obinna Nwanna tied for second in the high jump, rounding out All-UAA performances by the Spartans.
