Track & Field | 1/18/2025 9:55:00 PM

Wooster, Ohio – The Oberlin College men's and women's track & field teams competed today at the Wooster Invitational, contested on the College of Wooster's flat, 200m track. The men's team notched fifteen personal bests and three conference-qualifying marks, while the women's team achieved ten and two, respectively. Although Oberlin entered a larger squad today than at Case Western in December, some athletes have yet to open their seasons.
 
In the throws, first-year Mary Howell made her collegiate debut in the shot put and weight throw, heaving the shot 6.72m, and the weight 7.60m. Fellow first-year Maddie Farbman bettered her December marks with throws of 7.30m in the shot and 8.45m in the weight. Meanwhile, pentathlete Celia Vaughn chucked the shot 8.08m.
 
On the men's side, Abraham Cromartie V launched the shot 11.82m in his sixth-round throw. The sophomore handled the 16-pound shot admirably in his first collegiate meet, making finals with a first-round throw of 11.74m. In the same event, junior Tahlon Bailey threw the shot 9.89m, and heptathlete Kit Evans sent it 9.50m.
 
On the jumps runway, senior Luke Yates bounded to 11.94m in the triple jump, while senior Heather Benway lept 4.69m in the long jump from a short approach. Since Benway studied abroad last spring, this was her first competition since May 2023.
 
In the sprints, Oberlin dashed to several personal bests in the 60m. First-year Yrva Desormeaux (8.45), third-year Andres Adam (7.48), fourth-year Carson Franks (7.53), and fourth-year Cole Fuller (7.18) each set or matched their personal bests. Fuller's time stands at ninth on Oberlin's all-time 60m list. 
 
Additionally, Ryley Steggall and Clara Smith returned to the track after a semester abroad, opening their seasons in the 60m with times of 8.22 and 8.85, respectively.
 
Following up in the 200m, Desormeaux (27.60), Adam (24.51), and Fuller (23.03) each lowered their indoor bests in the one-lap race. In addition, Yates and first-year Raluchi Obioha raced their first collegiate 200s, clocking 26.77 and 24.96, respectively. 
 
In the 400m, senior Camila Ciembroniewicz blazed a 62.84 in her first indoor race at the distance. The speedy cross country runner easily met the NCAC standard of 63.55. 
 
In the 800m, junior Liam Newman delivered Oberlin's best race of the day. The middle-distance specialist opened aggressively yet sensibly, settling in third place through 200m in 30.2. Cutting off of Kenyon's Charlie Blackmer, a talented freshman, Newman eased into second place during lap two (29.5). Newman made his move on the third lap, splitting 28.8 to break away from Blackmer and the rest of the field. Fading slightly on the bell lap, Newman clocked 31.1 to take the win in 1:59.50. The race was Newman's second trip below the two-minute mark and his first indoors. 
 
"Clearly, Liam worked hard over winter break and is in really good shape," Assistant Coach Izzy Alexander said. "It'll be exciting to see what he does next."
 
Also in the 800m, Sage Serraino (2:28.79), Solana Pearl (2:42.89), and Serafina Yan (2:56.74) also opened their seasons over four laps.
 
Another highlight for the Crimson and Gold was the women's mile, in which the Yeowomen snagged the top two spots. Sophomore Char Purcell took the race wire-to-wire, closing hard to win in 5:38.56. Senior Caleigh Lyons took second in 5:48.77, moving up well throughout the race. Both Purcell and Lyons set personal bests: Purcell lopped half a minute off of her former best, while Lyons dropped nine seconds. 
 
Purcell enjoyed the team's cheering during her first collegiate win. "The team really brought a great energy to the mile, which helped me run a really tactical and fun race," Purcell said. 
 
The men's 3,000m brought a chaotic close to the invitational. Danny Markey ran an assertive first kilometer, jostling with a Kenyon runner early and taking the lead over Wooster's Drew Robertson. However, Markey's left shoe tore open halfway through the race, and the senior faded through the rest of the distance. Nonetheless, Markey felt he could have run better. "The shoe gave me an excuse, but I'm not using it as my excuse," Markey said. 
 
Meanwhile, sophomore Will Gordon matched his personal best with a 9:37.73, and freshman Daniel Beyda debuted with a 10:03.61.
 
Coach Wach was pleased with today's results and trusts that the team will improve over the coming season. 
 
"I think we did a really good job of committing to plans," Wach said. "We saw some people get somewhat surprising rewards for that – like Liam Newman in the 800m. Other people committed really hard and got part-way there. It'll be fun to be back here next week to see them compete again."
 
The Crimson and Gold return to Wooster next Saturday, January 25th, for the Fighting Scots Invitational. Field events start at noon, with track events beginning after at approx. 2:30 p.m.
 
Fans can keep up with their favorite teams on Instagram, Facebook, X, or TikTok, and watch all the home matches live online. The Crimson and Gold's home broadcasts can be accessed on TV through the official Oberlin College Sports Network app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.