|
 |  | ||||||
2001 Outdoor Season Outlook Cedarville University track & field coach Paul Orchard welcomes back a veteran and accomplished nucleus of athletes to his men's program for the 2001 season. The group of returnees include four NAIA All-Americans as well as seven American Mideast Conference champions. "Our talent is similar to last year, but we are more experienced," said Orchard. "Like our women, the men are strong from the middle distances on up. We will be even more competitive as we get solid efforts in the other events." Cliff Reynolds, a senior from Tuckerton, NJ, is coming off of an incredible season last spring in which he was an NAIA All-American in the indoor 600 meters and the outdoor 400 meter hurdles. He was also recognized as the NCCAA's Wheeler Award recipient to go along with being the AMC Outstanding Performer of the Meet, an NAIA and NCCAA All-America Scholar-Athlete, as well as being tabbed Cedarville's Male Athlete of the Year. Reynolds will again focus on the 400 meter hurdles, the 400 meter dash, and the 4 x 400 relay.
Eddie Nehus is expected to be among the nation's best in the 800 meters. He is a three-time NAIA All-American in the event - twice outdoor and once indoors - and is a three-time NCCAA champion. A senior from Gallipolis, OH, Nehus holds CU's school record in the 800 at 1:49.86. A pair of juniors, Sergio Reyes and Mike Marsh, hope to continue the momentum they established during the indoor season. Reyes earned NAIA All-America honors by placing second in the 5,000 meters after being named an NAIA All-American in cross country during the fall by finishing sixth in the country. Marsh garnered NAIA All-America recognition in the indoor pentathlon upon placing third. Another All-America hopeful is junior Andy Paugh, who will specialize in the high jump, 110 meter hurdles, and the 400 meter hurdles. He is the defending AMC high jump champion. Jody Fox and Steve Wakefield, both NCCAA All-Americans in cross country add depth as distance runners. Both will run the 5K and Fox will see some action in the 10K. Justin Gerber has three years of quality cross country experience and brings a wealth of talent in the middle distances.
All-America Scholar-Athlete and senior Ken Loescher heads up the return of the defending AMC champion 4 x 800 meter relay unit. The rest of the quartet includes Nehus, Josh Mark, and Justin Whitaker. The Yellow Jackets also expect to be a factor in the 4 x 400 meter relay where they won the AMC and NCCAA titles last spring with Reynolds, Nehus, and Drew Nelson part of the winning combination. Other key performances could come from juniors Aaron Hauer in the sprints, Dan Plaatje in the distance events, and Carl Traub in the throws as well as sophomore Eric Yearley in the hurdles. As far as the competition goes, the NCCAA Nationals return to the Cedarville University track & field complex on May 3-5. The Yellow Jackets will host the annual Cedarville Open on March 31 and compete in six other meets on the road including three hosted by NCAA Division I institutions. | ||||||||
