Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

May 8, 2012

Welcome back for the last time blog readers!

This was a bittersweet week for some of us and I would include myself in this group. It was bittersweet because we had such an awesome closing meet but now our season is over for the year. This past week we traveled to Joliet, Illinois for the NCCAA National Championship. It was such an awesome meet with amazing weather and we all had a really fun time together. Along with the fun we had we also competed very well and had numerous national champions in all different kinds of events.

On that note i'll name this weeks "atta boy (s)" awards.


This weeks Atta boy (s) award winners:

Josiah Bragg in the 10, 000 meters (32:03.54) - National Champ

Corey Caldwell in the 110 meter and 400 meter hurdles (14.80/54.41) - National Champ x2

James Blackwell in the decathlon (6,478 pts) - National Champ


Cedarville placed second overall in the NCCAA national competition but we were leading the competition all the way until the very last event where Indiana Wesleyan University slipped past us in the 4 x 400 meter race. The NCCAA nationals is one of my favorite meets of the year because the competition level is so high and it brings out the true competitor in all of us.

It's been fun being the blog writer this year and I truly hope you have enjoyed reading my blog entries!

Please keep us all in your prayers and I hope you all have an awesome summer!

For the last time, run fast and turn left...


April 30, 2012

Hello again blog readers!

We're all still feeling the high of winning the first Ohio Independent Championship meet! Nothing feels better than winning a meet against other colleges that are also going NCAA II.

We're coming up on another important meet this weekend; NCCAA nationals. Last year we were the NCCAA champions and we are all excited and ready to capture back-to-back titles. It's finals week here on campus so we're all cramming for tests but that doesn't mean we aren't taking it easy on the track.

Coach Bolender and the crew have put together a workout regiment specifically geared towards preparing us for this weekend’s national meet. On Thursday we'll be taking off for Joliet, Illinois where Judson University will be hosting the meet. Wish us all luck and keep us in your prayers!

I've got to go study for my Spanish final now, wish me luck, I'll need it!

Until next week, run fast and turn left...


April 23, 2012

Welcome back blog readers!

Domination!

That is the only word that comes to mind when I think back to this weekend. We came to win the OIC (Ohio Independent Championship) meet and that's exactly what we did. By a lot! Almost 100 points which is a huge blow out in track & field.

We left Friday afternoon and made the three hour trek up to Walsh University to visit the track and to have a brief practice to finalize some relay hand-offs and what not. When that concluded we headed towards the hotel we were going to stay at but stopped for some fine dining at Parasson's Italian Restaurant. We always have a fun time when we have a sit down meal with each other. Our team has a lot of good chemistry and we all get along really well which make events like this a lot of fun. After the good eats when made our way to the Comfort Inn for some much needed rest and relaxation. A few of us went for an evening swim/game of "marco polo" before we hit the sack. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that meets where we get to go and stay somewhere and bond are our favorite and make track & field the fun sport it is.

After a good night’s sleep and a nice continental breakfast we loaded up the bus at 10:30 a.m. and made the journey to the first official OIC meet. For such a big event the weather did not do much to make the day go smoothly. It was a cold and windy/rainy day which is never any fun to compete in. That did not stop the Cedarville boys or should I say men from showing up big! We had numerous first place finishes and dominated the meet from the get go! On that note I will name this week's "Atta Boy(s) Awards".

This week's "Atta Boy(s)" award winners:

Corey Caldwell in the 110 meter and 400 meter hurdles - Placed 1st in both (15.5, 55.8)

Evan Thayer in the 800 meters and the 1500 meters - Placed 1st in both (1:55.3, 3:59.0)

Beau Michaud in discus - Placed 1st (42.46 meters)

Sam LeMaster in shot put and hammer throw - Placed 1st in both (14.64 meters, 48.75 meters)

James Blackwell in pole vault - Placed 1st (14-00.00)

Neil Klinger in the 3,000 meter steeplechase - Placed 1st (9:46.0)

Josiah Bragg in the 5,000 meters - Placed 1st (15:17.0)

Joe Niemiec in the 5,000 meters - Placed 2nd and had a huge PR (15:24.0)

Ben Tuttle in the 10,000 meters - Placed 1st (32:21.0)


As you can see from the list of award winners we had tons of 1st place finishes. I know when there is poor weather outside I like to challenge myself to think about the positives and getting mentally prepared for the race ahead of me and I think everyone had the same thoughts as me on Saturday. I was so happy with the way everyone competed and was glad to come away with the first ever OIC Championship trophy.

Our next and final meet of the season is in two weeks and we will be traveling up to Joliet, Illinois for the NCCAA national meet. Last year we won this meet and we will be gunning for it again this year. Keep tuning in as I continue to post blog entries about the men's track & field and continue to keep us in your prayers as well.

Until next time, run fast and turn left...


April 16, 2012

Hello blog readers! We had this past weekend off which was really nice and much needed for a lot of people. Some of us needed to give our legs and body a short rest before we dive into a week of intense training to prepare for the Ohio Independent Championship meet this upcoming weekend. I know a lot of the guys are really excited about this meet because it is a brand new experience for all of us. The OIC is a meet that has been formed by a group of colleges that are transferring into the NCAA D2 category so the competition level should be pretty high.

This week we should have some pretty intense practices to ready our bodies to perform to the best of their abilities. The meet will be held at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio and we will leave on Friday afternoon and competition will begin on Saturday. Again, we are all very excited to see how we stand compared to other colleges that are transferring over to D2 and we hope we come out on top!

Your thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated by all of us. Thanks for tuning in again and check back in next week to see how the meet comes out.

Until next time, run fast and turn left...


April 9, 2012

Welcome back blog readers! Being that it was Easter weekend I elected to go home and spend the weekend with family so I did not attend the meet at Miami University. Even though I did not attend that didn't stop me from hearing about some of the big things that happened on Saturday.

We had lots of awesome performances but unfortunately we also had a pretty serious injury. Curtis Meyer, one of our pole vaulters, was injuried during the pole vaulting competition so I'd like to ask for you to keep him in your prayers. I'm sure he'd really appreciate that.
On the upside, we had some stellar marks by a few of our athletes. Sam LeMaster came ready to compete and throw a foot PR (personal record) in shot put. On that note I'll introduce this week's "Atta Boy(s) Award Winners".

This week's Atta Boy(s) award winners...

Josiah Bragg in the 5000 meters (14:55.48) - Placed 8th

Neil Klinger in the 3000 meter steeplechase (9:25.80) - Placed 3rd

Sam LeMaster in shot put (16.39 meters) - Placed 6th

Greg Hannay in hammer throw (43.31 meters) - First outdoor throwing event since surgery!

The meet at Miami was packed full of top level D1 performers so we did not run away with this meet but we did place in the middle of the pack, getting seventh out of 14 teams.

This upcoming weekend we get our first break of the outdoor season but that definitely does not mean we will be taking it easy. We have a big meet coming up on the 21st of April as we travel to Walsh University for the Ohio Independent Championship meet. Please keep us all in your prayers and come back in two weeks when I recap the OIC meet.

Until then, run fast and turn left...


April 2, 2012

Hello, once again blog readers! After spending the last weekend in Georgia's nice, warm weather this past week's track meet was a polar opposite. On Saturday we hosted the Yellow Jacket Collegiate Open and it was a cold one! At least compared to the previous week it was.
No matter the weather the guys came ready to compete! We started our day off hot with the men's 3000 meter steeple chase. Joe Niemiec was our solo competitor in the steeple chase and he represented our team well with an opening event victory. The hot streak did not end there as we continued to have excellent individual and relay team performances. On that note I will award this week's "Atta Boy(s)" award winners.

This week's "Atta Boy(s)" award winners...

Sam LeMaster in shot put (2nd - 14.65 meters), hammer throw (1st - 49.48 meters), and discus (4th - 39.96 meters)

Stephen Port in pole vault - placed 1st (4.0 5meters)

Joe Niemiec in the 3000 meter steeple chase - placed 1st (10:11.18)

Matthew Cheney in the 1500 meters - placed 3rd (4:07.49)

Ethan Blagg in the 800 meters - placed 2nd (1:53.84)

Our team performed very well despite the cold and windy day and we managed to capture the victory in the 12-team meet. We also had numerous amounts of stellar performance but one that got a lot of people talking was Ethan Blagg's 1:53 800 meter run! That was a very exciting race to watch and got a lot of people out from underneath their blankets and out to the track to cheer on the team.

Next week we make our way over to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Check back in next week to read over my recap of the meet at Miami University.

Until then, run fast and turn left...


March 27, 2012

Nice to have you back blog readers!

This was an awesome week for us as we traveled down to Atlanta, Georgia to compete in the Emory Invitational. We started our trek down to Georgia at 10 p.m. on Wednesday night. We wasted no time at all getting settled into our 10-hour drive by popping in a movie to watch. Once the movie ended the bus was filled with lots of sleeping tracksters except for the group of us who sat in the back of the bus. We thought sitting in the back would be awesome you know because all the cool kids sit in the back. Wrong! What we didn't know is that the engine of the bus was located right below us, making the back of the bus a million degrees. Not really but it felt that way. We managed to fall asleep after awhile and woke up to our first pit stop which was breakfast at 6:30 a.m. We ate at McDonald’s which was quick and pretty tasty. We then loaded the bus up again and traveled the rest of the way to Georgia.

The first stop on the itinerary was Stone Mountain which is basically what it sounds like; a big stone mountain. We had the option to either hike up the mountain or to continue sleeping on the bus. I'd say it was a 50/50 split, half slept and the other half hiked to the top of Stone Mountain. If you know me you can probably guess what I chose to do; sleep. Once everyone was awake and back from hiking we had a nice picnic lunch which took place at 11 a.m. We planned on leaving Stone Mountain around 1:30 p.m. so we had some time to sight see or throw a football/ frisbee around which is what most of us did.

When the clock hit 1:30 p.m. we were on the road again making the last few steps to Emory University. Once we arrived we checked out their athletic complex and then had a light practice on their track. They had a pretty nice set up at Emory which a lot of us took advantage of. A few of us even got to enjoy swimming around in their pool. When we got things at Emory wrapped up we went and had dinner, made a quick stop at Walmart, and then finally made our last stop of the day at Luther Rice College to sleep. We were generously invited as guests to stay the night at Luther Rice College so we made sure we were not too wild and luckily they had a TV in their lobby so most of us enjoyed watching some of the NCAA basketball tournament.

The next morning we had a continental breakfast and then we made our way back to Emory because some of us were competing on Friday. This was a two-day meet so Friday held some of the field events and also some relays. Once the meet ended we headed to CiCi's Pizza for dinner and then ventured back to Luther Rice College again for sleep.

The next morning came too soon as we had to wake up at 6:30 a.m. to pack up, clean up, and leave for the rest of the meet at Emory. The weather for the few days we were in Georgia was nice and warm and Saturday was no exception. We were all pumped and ready to compete in the nice warm weather. Our team put up some nice performances and also placed very well in this meet. Some of our guys rose to the top of the competition and for this they will be awarded with this week's "Atta Boy(s) Award".

This week's Atta Boy(s) Award winners...

Ryan Gustafson in the 1500 meters - placed 3rd (3:58.03)

Matthew Cheney in the 5000 meters - placed 4th (15:29.68)

Josiah Bragg (32:39.04) and Joe Cathey (32:49.69) in the 10,000 meters - placed 1st & 2nd

Corey Caldwell in the 400 meter hurdles - placed 2nd (55.48)

Neil Klinger in the 3000 meter steeplechase - placed 2nd (9:39.73)

Ethan Blagg, Ryan Gustafson, Erik Johnson, and Evan Thayer in the 4 x 800 meter relay - placed 2nd (7:46.20)

James Blackwell in the pole vault - placed 3rd (4.25 meters)

Sam LeMaster in the shot put - placed 2nd (15.14 meters) & hammer throw - placed 3rd (45.16 meters)


With all the good performances, we ended up placing 3rd out of 14 teams. The winning team only beat us by 7.5 points which is not much if you know how track scoring works.

After the meet we had our final meeting and then loaded the buses up once again and began the 10-hour trip back to the great state of Ohio. We arrived back on campus around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday morning and we were all dying to crawl into our own beds! Aside from the poor sleeping conditions on the bus this trip was very fun and we all enjoyed the time we got to spend with each other. Come back next week as I recap our first and only home outdoor meet of the year and if you can, come check us out this Saturday! We're pretty good!

Until next week, run fast and turn left...


March 20, 2012

Hello again blog readers! This past meet at the University of Cincinnati was awesome. The weather was amazing which is surprising because the last few years at this meet the weather was horrible. Cincinnati runs their meet very professionally which has its ups and downs.

The ups are that the meet runs quickly and efficiently and the officials put you where you need to be. The downs are that you don't get to warm up on the track which doesn't bother some people because they have a very large grassed area across the street for you to warm up on.

All in all the meet is a good meet and the team was excited to kick off the outdoor season there. I can't speak for everyone but I know I still had some "rust" to work off heading into this meet but some people looked sharp. For this they will be awarded with this week's Atta Boy(s) Award.

This week's Atta Boy(s) Award winners:

Evan Thayer in the 1500 meters - placed first (3:54.34)

Josiah Bragg in the 5000 meters - placed fourth (15:13.52)

Corey Caldwell in the 110 meter hurdles - placed third (15.23)

Sam Lemaster in shot put and hammer throw - placed third in both (15.03m/47.53m)


Overall it was a pretty solid day for our team as we placed third out of the 11 teams that competed. It's always nice to kick off the outdoor season with a good meet, great weather, and a solid finish by our team.

We hope to continue our momentum as we travel down to Atlanta, GA to compete at the Emory Invitational. I know for a fact that we are all excited about this meet. Please check back in with me next week as I recap our long journey down to the Emory meet.

Until then, run fast and turn left...


March 13, 2012

Glad to have you back blog readers! I can't speak for the others but I've very much enjoyed the break we've had in between indoor and outdoor track. I know my body has healed up and is ready to compete again. This coming Saturday we will be making our way down to the University of Cincinnati to compete along side the Bearcats in our first outdoor meet of the year.

Although we have had almost a month off of competition the training has not stopped, in fact, it has been cranked up a notch. Before spring break we had a great week of training with very difficult but much needed workouts. Spring break can sometimes be a hindrance to our training and it also challenges everyone to take the initiative to train on their own. On that note I'd like to name this weeks "Atta Boy(s) Awards".....

This week's Atta Boy(s) Award winners:

Anyone who trained hard over spring break!!!

And myself for proposing to my girlfriend!

As we begin our outdoor season I'd like to ask you, the blog readers, to keep us all in your prayers. The outdoor season usually flies by us faster than we realize but it is always a fun part of the season. I really hope the weather is a lot warmer than it was last year and the signs are looking good as winter was nearly nonexistent this year. My fingers are crossed!

Well, thanks again for checking in on the track blog and wish us luck for this Saturday!

Until next week, run fast and turn left...


February 21, 2012

Hello, blog readers! Nice to have you back again! This week was NCCAA Indoor Nationals, and we hosted it in the Doden Field House. This was the most important meet of the indoor season because we're still in our provisional stage of transferring to the NCAA D2 category, which means we don't have any NCAA nationals this year. This meet also marked the end of the indoor track season. To me, the NCCAA national meets have been a little lack luster in competition, but for the past two years I've felt like the competition has steadily gotten quite a bit tougher. There were 20 teams that competed for the NCCAA National Title this year, and our men's team placed third.

We all had a great week of practice under our belts this past week leading up to the NCCAA's. Running on an indoor track for a few months doesn't really seem like it would do to much damage to your body right? Wrong! I know a lot of us hate running on the indoor track because of shin splints and a numerous amount of other injuries. So needless to say, we were/are pretty beat up but we all fought through it and readied ourselves for the week ahead: NCCAA nationals. Our team was gunning for the NCCAA title this year, but we fell just short of the mark but we had a lot of outstanding performances by quite a few guys. For their efforts they will be awarded with this week's Atta Boy(s) Award.

This week's Atta Boy(s) Award winners:

Evan Thayer in the mile (4:12.65) - placed 1st (New meet record /All-American)

Ryan Gustafson in the mile (4:20.24) and the 3000 meters (8:54.87) - placed 4th

Josiah Bragg in the 5000 meters (15:15.12) - placed 2nd (All-American)

Corey Caldwell in the 55 meter hurdles (7.75) - placed 2nd (All-American)

The 4 x 200 meter relay team (1:34.07) - placed 4th


Overall, I think the majority of us were pretty satisfied with our times/marks we achieved. I know we all were a little bummed that we didn't bring home the National Championship banner this year, but we all performed well and we'll give it all we've got again during outdoor NCCAA Nationals. This will be my last blog post for a couple of weeks as we switch over to outdoor track and field. Our next meet will be at the University of Cincinnati on March 17th, so until then keep us in your prayers and wish us luck on the upcoming outdoor season!

Until then, run fast and turn left...


February 14, 2012

Good to have you back, blog readers! This was a pretty big week for us as we traveled to Indiana University for competition. This meet, as far as the competition level goes, was the toughest of the year. We began our journey to IU (Indiana University) at noon on Friday, and we were all very excited to be competing at this meet. Being as the competition level was so high, the whole men's team was not able to make the trip because of the stiff standards IU had set. No one knew if they would be competing until Thursday afternoon when our coach announced who would be making the trip.

The meet at IU was a very new experience for a lot of us, including myself, because of the type of track that we would be running on: a banked track. A banked track is basically what it sounds like; the curves or turns on the track are banked making it almost bowl shaped. The track itself was a foot or two off of the ground on the straight aways and around 3-4 feet on the curves which made you feel like you were on a stage while you were running. It was definitely an awesome feeling, and we had some pretty good performances from several guys on the team.

A big highlight of the night was the men's DMR (Distance Medley Relay), which placed first. The race was very close throughout every leg of the race. Then the anchor leg came around, Evan Thayer flipped on the boosters, and left the rest of the field in his dust! This definitely got the team going! These guys weren't the only ones who performed well, and for that they will be awarded with the "Atta Boy(s) Award".

This weeks Atta Boy(s) Award winners:

Evan Thayer in the Mile (4:14.83) - Placed 1st (Atta Boy)

Ryan Gustafson in the Mile (4:18.93) - Placed 6th

Corey Caldwell in the 60 meter Hurdles (8.44) - Placed 6th

The DMR squad (10:17.36) - placed 1st (Atta Boys)


The last event of the night was the men's 4 x 400 meter race and that kicked off at 11:20 p.m., just to give you a perspective of how late this meet lasted. A nice pasta dinner was brought to us around midnight, and then we were on our way home. I think we were all exhausted from a long day of competition so the 3 1/2 hour drive home didn't sound so bad considering the fact that we would all be sleeping. All in all, IU was a great place to compete, and I think we all had a lot of fun. Personally, I hope we have more trips booked to travel back to IU in the future. That's all for this week and come back next week as I recap the NCCAA National Championship track meet, which Cedarville will be hosting.


February 7, 2012

Welcome back, blog readers! This past week was kind of a big one for us as we had our first home track meet of the season. Home meets are always really fun, and there is always a lot a good energy in the air because tons of friends and family come to cheer us on. I really want to give a big pat on the back to all the coaches and event staff that made this meet possible.

I know Coach Bolender, Coach Marsh, and Coach Orchard all worked very, very hard to get everything set up and working correctly to make this meet function smoothly. This was not an easy task because we had around 800 athletes competing under one roof. Well done, coaches and event staff!

The meet kicked off around 3 p.m. and the field house was packed with athletes, spectators, and officials. The Doden Field House is not as big as some of the venues we've run at, but we make it work well! It's always nice to overhear some of the other athletes from the surrounding universities talking amongst themselves about how nice our facilities are; makes you have a little pride in your school.

I could really tell that everyone was excited to be running at home amongst their friends and family. I won't lie, I was pretty excited to see some of my friends and family at the meet; you get a little boost of adrenaline to know people are there to see you compete. We had a lot of good performances from several guys on the team, and for this they will be awarded with this week's "Atta Boy(s) Award".


This Week's Atta Boy(s) Award winners are:

Josh Lusk in high jump (1.9 meters) - placed 4th

Corey Caldwell in the 55 meter hurdles (7.83) - placed 3rd

Ryan Gustafson in the mile (4:22.84) - placed 2nd

Ethan Blagg in the 800 meters (1:58.09) - placed 6th

Joe Cathey in the 5000 meters (15:35.76) - placed 2nd

Neil Klinger in the 5000 meters (16:00.92) - placed 4th

Clay Watson in the 3000 meters (9:03.00) - placed 1st

James Blackwell in the Heptathlon (4630 points) - placed 2nd


For yet another week the Cedarville men's track and field team looked strong as we placed third at our first scored meet of the year. We were 1.5 points away from second place, and we had some key injuries and other setbacks that held us away from moving up in the ranks. It seems to me that we have a strong team, and I am really looking forward to our next home meet, which is two weeks when we host the NCCAA National Indoor Championships. Until then, keep tuning in each week to keep up with the men who love to run in circles!

Until next week, run fast and turn left...


January 30, 2012

Good to see you back blog readers! This week was kind of a short and crazy one for us! We had our first Friday meet of the year and it was a long one! The male heptathletes took their talents up to the University of Findlay while the rest of us started our trek to Youngstown State, and we all came prepared with pillows in hand for the four- hour journey ahead of us.

We got about halfway there when we made our first stop for a much needed bathroom/lunch/leg stretching pit stop. Bellies full and legs stretched out we began our last leg of the long trip. As we arrived, I think we all were a little impressed with the indoor track facilities of Youngstown State. I, for one, was blown away by the size of the venue, and I was captivated by the full-size football field that was located in the center of the track. I was then struck by heartache as I remembered that I did not pack my football with my stuff this week; poor decision making on my part!

Another awesome part of Youngstown States’ facility was that they had a 300 meter track (we usually run on 200 meter tracks) which is great for a sprinter, like myself, because the turns are less sharp. Another great part about Youngstown State was the announcer/DJ. He kept me pretty entertained between races with his "dance moves" to music that was far beyond his generation, I'm talking about a 45-50 year old man dancing to the Black-Eyed Peas; pretty epic!

On another note, the meet was pretty awesome and was well run by the Youngstown State staff. This was an NCAA Division I meet so the competition was pretty stiff, but I think our guys handled themselves quite well. We ran alongside some pretty talented athletes so I did not expect anyone to dominate this meet, but we did have some pretty stellar performances by a few gentlemen and for that they will be awarded with this week's "Atta Boy(s) Award".


Atta Boy(s) Award Winners.....

Corey Caldwell in the 60 meter hurdles (5th place) and a solid 400 meters (51.96)

Erik Johnson in the 800 meters (6th place)

Michael Gardner in the 800 meters (8th place)

Matthew Cheney, Josiah Bragg, Clay Watson, and Ben Tuttle in the 5000 meters (3rd-6th place)

James Blackwell in the Heptathlon (2nd place) and a school record (4493 pts)


It was really encouraging to see everyone really show up and perform well at a large meet like this. I know we all have been training hard and it's awesome to see everyone breaking personal records each week. I thoroughly enjoyed the meet this past week and I hope we travel to more facilities like the one at Youngstown State.

Until next time, run fast and turn left....


January 24, 2012

Welcome back blog readers! Man, oh man, what a day! Things started off slow on Saturday when we woke up to ice-covered windshields and slippery roads. This was a big pain for some of us who live off campus as it literally took more time to scrap our windows off than it took to get to school. All was well with the team though, as I could feel a vibe of excitement as I walked onto the bus. I'm pretty sure most of the excitement was geared toward falling back asleep as we had a three hour drive ahead of us, but I know at least a fourth of it was geared towards the track meet too. There are only a few things better than a pre-track meet nap!

We arrived at Indiana Wesleyan around 11 a.m., and I could feel the energy but that was mostly due to the fact that we were all swarming the food that the coaches set out of us. Stomachs full and minds focused, we were ready to go! I loved seeing the glow on all of the freshmen's faces as they were warming up for their different events. It brought back some good, old memories from my first track meet as a college freshman.

All warmed up and ready to go, the meet kicked off at noon. Everyone went their separate ways, as we went to compete in all kinds of events but it was awesome to see everyone finding ways to cheer for one another. I was very impressed with the way everyone did and a few people actually surprised me with the way they stepped it up! Each week I'd like to point out a few people that really stood out in my eyes and give them a shout out.

I think I'll call it the "Atta Boy(s) Award".


This week's "Atta Boy(s) Award" winners:

Freshman David Yoder in the 400 meters (53.78) -- placed 8th

Freshman Erik Johnson in the 800 meters (2:03.88) -- placed 2nd

Michael Gardner in the 800m (2:06.28) -- placed 6th

Ryan Gustafson in the mile (4:25.56) -- placed 1st (Atta Boy!)

The Veteran Evan Thayer in the mile (4:27.32) -- placed 2nd

Matthew Cheney, Joe Cathey, Josiah Bragg, and Ben Tuttle for taking 2nd-5th in the 3000 meters

Corey Caldwell in the 60 meter hurdles (8.47) -- placed 2nd

Freshman James Blackwell in the pole vault (4.25m) -- placed 4th

Fellow housemate Sam LeMaster in the shot put (14.78m) -- placed 2nd


All in all, it was a great day to compete and a lot of people showed up big and hit lots of PR's! I know everyone was really excited to compete, but I never saw more joy come to everyone's face as Coach Marsh, Steve Port, and I walked in 30 boxes of Little Caesar's pizza! All is well that ends well and pizza was just what we needed to cap a great day of competition! Thanks for tuning in again this week and I hope you enjoyed my recap of our meet at Indiana Wesleyan University.

Until next week, run fast and turn left.


January 20, 2012

Hello blog readers! I will be attempting to entertain you with my blog entries for the 2012 men’s track and field season (wish me luck). I'm going to try to do my best not to bore you to death with my entries and I hope to inform you about each one of our track meets and possibly give you some behind the scenes info if you are lucky. Please bare with me for the first few entries as I am a newbie to this whole thing but I plan to spice it up a bit as the season goes on!

I'm very excited to start off the 2012 indoor season! Right now we are in the process of joining the NCAA D2 so things have been a little bit different this year. There are a lot of rules that we have to pay close attention to so that we don't get ourselves in trouble but we have great coaches that keep us in line. Our team, as usual, looks very strong this year but we are going to be missing some great athletes this year due to red-shirting. Not to worry though, everyone is pumped to get this season kicked off and see the results of our summer/fall training.

On a more personal note, I am pretty excited to see what the incoming freshmen tracksters can do this year. I've been impressed with what I have seen so far and I hope they can fill in the spot where our team is lacking. I know we're all ready to bring our "A" game to our first meet at Indiana Wesleyan University and I can see our team doing some big things this year.

Thanks for reading my weekly blog entry! I hope you enjoyed reading it and I hope you continue to tune in to see what's happening with the Cedarville University Men’s Track & Field team!

Until next time, run fast and turn left....


Mark Farris is a junior sprinter from Berne, Ind. He is in his third season with the Yellow Jackets and is majoring in graphic design.