The Observer, February 8, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 16
Spartans take advantage of home track
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The men and women's track and field squads had a strong showing for the second week in a row.
Captain Esther Erb led the way for the women with first-place finishes in the mile, with a time of 5:06.33, the 3000-meter, with a time of 10:19.01, and the women's distance medley. Alongside Erb, freshman Justine Jeroski placed second in the mile with a time of 5:28.10, and junior Kristen Bowhers took second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:27.32. Bowhers wasn't satisfied with second. "I was not too happy with my performances this week," she said. "I start my races out too slow and try to make up for it toward the end of the race. To get ready for All-Ohio I [definitely] need to do some speed work."
Abby Small, a member of both the cross country team and track and field team, has been working hard despite injuries. "She's been injured so much and she spent her life in the pool because she couldn't run during cross country," said Bowhers. "Now it seems like she will be in the pool for track too. I give her credit, I couldn't do pool workouts everyday."
Coach Stephen Rubin has enjoyed the fruits of his labor in working with both squads this season by watching his athletes compete. "The best way that I can assess our squads right now is to say that I'm extremely impressed with the focus and desire of this team. These athletes really want to get better and they are absolutely willing to work for those results," he said. "As a coach, I couldn't ask for a better atmosphere or environment in which to build a championship team. Moving forward at the conference and national level is hard and this team is going to have to earn every step on that path. But on the day that we arrive at our goals, it's going to feel even better because we'll know the struggle and sacrifice it took to get there."
The men also had several impressive placements, including a first-place finish by Obinna Nwanna in the men's high jump, with a height of 1.88 meters, a second-place finish in .the long jump with a distance of 5.99 meters, a third -place finish in the shot put with a throw of 12.74 meters, and finally a sixth-place finish in the 55-meter dash. His training partner, Matt Kamalsky, also had impressive finishes, with a fourth-place finish in the high jump and fifth place finish in the long jump. "[Nwanna] is progressing great," said Rubin about Nwanna's preparations for the decathlon. "This week he was joined in doing those same five events by his decathlon training partner, Matt Kamalsky. It was even more challenging at this meet because the time schedule was shorter and they had less recovery between events."
Other placements for the men included a first-place finish in the 3000-meter run by junior Dominic Smith, who had a time of 8:47.22. Rubin was especially pleased with the effort of some of his underclassmen. "Freshman Stephen Evankovich came in as an experienced javelin thrower but has added the 35-pound weight and hammer to his events. He had a [personal record] this week. His technical progression has been phenomenal," said Rubin. He also noted that sophomore Allison Early had a personal record for the second straight week in the 20-pound weight throw.
The Spartans next travel to Baldwin- Wallace on Feb. 15 for a tune-up before the All-Ohio Championships. This will be Case's first meet away from home.
"I think the main difference between competing at home versus away is the travel," said junior thrower Elizabeth Ehrke. "Traveling can be a little stressful on the body. The actual competition is very similar. The level of competition [at Baldwin-Wallace] will be greater."
The next two meets will be a drastic change in competition for the Spartans as they face seasoned teams at both Baldwin-Wallace and the All-Ohio meet. "We expect to see athletes getting into more events, we will see a little more sharpness and technical proficiency, and we expect to see more confidence and competitive poise," said Rubin.
