Oberlin College Athletics

SEASON OUTLOOK

Earning a fourth-place finish at the NCAC Outdoor Championships in 2008, the Oberlin men’s track and field team has put together a strong squad that looks to break into the top tier of teams in the conference.

Two returning school record holders in the field events lead the 2009 Yeomen. Senior Kyle Taljan hopes to improve upon his school record 5,732 points in the decathlon. Taljan also went on to score points for Oberlin in the pole vault in 2008 and will be counted on for more points in 2009. In the hammer throw, the Yeomen return All-Conference standout A.J. Greene, who tossed a school record 131-10 in the outdoor championships a season ago. Greene will be striving to break his own school record in the hammer and will be a factor in the javelin.

On the heels of Greene is sophomore thrower Josh Gallagher who finished just behind his teammate at the 2008 conference outdoor meet with a throw of 127 feet. Also contributing in the field will be first-year Sean Curtis and second-year high jumper Ryan Magiera.

As senior distance leaders, Ryan King and Conor Doss will try to end their terrific Oberlin careers on a high note. Both runners scored valuable points for the Yeomen a year ago and everything looks aligned for both King and Doss to improve upon the results during their senior seasons.

Adding to what could end up as a deep distance group in 2009 is junior Don Fleming and sophomore Justin Warner. First-years Ben Schild and Stephen Williams also have the opportunity to contribute immediately.

In the sprints, junior Seth Wimberly and sophomore Solomon Turner lead a group that should be among the top units in the conference. Wimberly and Turner teamed with sophomore Derrick Dennis and Cody Hartley ’08 to finish second in the 4x100 relay at the NCAC Outdoor Championships last season. Wimberly also placed in both the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes and provides talent to the relays for Oberlin. Turner came back from injuries throughout last year to finish fifth in the 100-meter dash. Also contributing on the relays for the Yeomen in 2009 will be sophomore Peter Morris.

The 2009 Oberlin women’s outdoor track & field team brings back tremendous talent as they hope to improve upon the third-place finish from a year ago. Taking home two individual conference titles and dominating in the relays in 2008 helped move the Yeowomen into the upper echelon of the NCAC.

Leading the way in 2009 is distance runner extraordinaire Joanna Johnson, who will defend her 2008 championship in the 5000 meter run. In just one year with the Yeowomen, Johnson is already a three-time conference champion. As the leader of a talented distance group, Johnson looks to bring Oberlin another championship and will be running for a trip to nationals.

Joining Johnson on the distance crew is senior Nicky Ouellet. As the former school record holder in the mile and current record holder in the 1,000 meters (indoors), she will be looking to finish her Oberlin career on a high note. Junior Clara Shaw and sophomore Hilary Tipton are poised to improve upon successful outdoor seasons a year ago and will lead the Yeowomen in the middle distance events.

Junior Maddie Schultz provides excitement this season as she tries to improve upon her heptathlon score that left her just
shy of qualifying for the national meet. Schultz is also the top returning 400-meter hurdler after placing second a year ago and will be competing for a conference title in the high jump as well.

Schultz and sophomore sprinter Amanda Miller hope to repeat their 2008 NCAC championship and school-record
holding victory in the 4x400 meter relay (4:02.05). Other potential contributors include Shaw and sophomore Laura Vernon.

While replacing graduated record-holders Deysi Villarreal and Kate Cook in the field events won’t be easy, the Yeowomen
welcome back former NCAC champion pole vaulter Kirsten Hansen-Day who returns to school after studying abroad for
a semester. Also contributing in the field events are Vernon, sophomore Melissa DeLombaert and junior Tamela Platt.

Oberlin begins its outdoor season on March 27 at the Rice Bayou Classic.