The Observer, April 4, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 23
Smith, Ehrke shine in sunny Atlanta
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The Case Western Reserve men's and women's track teams spent last weekend down south as part of the Emory University Track & Field Classic in Atlanta, Georgia. For the track team, it was special to travel all the way down south, following the previous meet in Florida.
The meet in Atlanta was also special for coach Stephen Rubin, as Emory is his alma mater. "It was nice to return to Atlanta and see a lot of old friends and
share some memories of my competitive days with the team. But the best part was that it was seventy degrees and sunny for most of the
meet," said Rubin.
Both teams had some personal accomplishments to talk about. The men's team ran away from the Classic with two individual victories. As a team, the Spartans placed fourth overall. Junior Dominic Smith grabbed the title for the 3000-meter steeple chase in a time under 10 minutes. Senior Pat Benasutti and freshman Victor Whitelock each placed second in the hammer throw and 800 meter run, respectively. But Smith and Whitelock weren't done just yet. Smith claimed another title in the 5000 meter race with a time of 15:19. "I am glad to have picked up two wins, but hope to improve on my personal best next weekend," says Smith.
Whitelock placed fifth out of 22 in the 400-meter race, with fellow freshman teammate Michael Davis finishing not too far behind. "Last weekend was a better performance for me," said Whitelock. Freshman Brian Link put in a good effort for the 1500-meter run. Senior Brandon Jeffries placed third in shot put with a throw of 13.37 meters, sophomore Obinna Nwanna placed third in the high jump with 1.96 meters, and Nwanna also place in the long jump. In the discus throw, sophomore Ryan Breon and junior Andrew Pozzuto placed third and seventh, respectively. Pozzuto, following the effort, stated, "I didn't do as well as I had hoped, but I was happy with my discus throw. I am hoping to improve on that to do better in the next competition." Pozzuto placed fourth in the javelin throw.
The women's team claimed three individual titles in Emory this past weekend. Junior Elizabeth Ehrke won the hammer throw alongside a second-place finish in the discus throw while freshman Justine Jeroski placed first in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Jeroski said it was a tremendous accomplishment for her, and that "it was special to go up against two seniors." Three Spartans finished in the top 20 of the 800-meter run: Kristen Bowhers, Sarah Gill, and Bettina Kaphingst. They were proud of each other's determination and each of their finishes definitely resembled a team effort. Junior Athena Chen claimed the Spartans third event title on Saturday in the 5000-meter run with a time of 20:03. The Spartans will be back in action in Cincinnati on April 5 as part of the Olivier Nickoloff Classic. The women will look to build upon their fifth-place finish.
