Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Track team shines despite poor weather conditions at meet

Skyler Phillips, Staff Reporter

It was a rainy day at the Don Frail invitation this past Saturday, but only in the literal sense of the word. Figuratively, the sun was shining for the Spartans’ track and field team; both the men’s and women’s teams had one competitor place first and at least three place in the top five. This all happened despite the chaos from the rain, the changing of event orders and the eventual move indoors.

For the men, Harry Weintraub placed first again in the hammer throw with a toss measuring 174 feet 10 inches. Fellow senior David Leishman competed in the same event, and placed fifth with a mark of 146 feet, 4 inches. Galen Caldwell and Chippy Kennedy placed fourth and fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, with times of 9:57.69 for Caldwell and 9:58.35 for Kennedy. On the track, David Dixon finished in fourth place for the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:12.65, and Joe Ledger came third in the 800m with a 2:01.92

Concerning the women, Kelsey Aamoth came in first for the 1,500-meter run with a career best of 4:49.51. Three other Spartan women placed in the top five places for their events: Christen Saccucci, McKenzie Braun and Brooke Simpson. Saccucci tied for fourth in the pole vault, clearing the bar at 10 feet two inches. Simpson also placed fourth in her event, the 400m hurdles, with a time of 1:15.90. Meanwhile, Braun ran a 13.43 in the 100m dash, crossing the line fifth.

The Spartans have one more invitational next weekend (the Marv Frye Invitational, at Selby Stadium in Delaware, Ohio) and then comes the All-Ohio Outdoor Championships, one of their biggest meets for the year. The meet will span April 26–27, and will also take place at the Selby Stadium. Good luck Spartans!