Scots Hosting 11-Team Wooster Invitational Saturday

KateLynn Riley

Following their spring break training trip, The College of Wooster track & field teams will host the annual Wooster Invitational, this Saturday, March 29. It will be a team-scored meet, and expected to participate are Ashland University, Cuyahoga Community College, Denison University, Edinboro University, Hiram College, Kenyon College, Lake Erie College, Notre Dame (Ohio) College, Ursuline College, Walsh University, and the host Fighting Scots. The Wooster Invite is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. with the field events, followed by track races at noon, and is expected to wrap up around 5 p.m.

Spring Break Recap: The Scots traveled south to compete in a pair of meets.

On March 14-15, Wooster’s track & field teams competed outdoors for the first time in 2008, as the Scots were among a field of primarily NCAA Div. I squads at the UNCW Seahawk Invitational in Wilmington, N.C. Wooster faired well in the highly-competitive environment, with its men placing seventh and the women ninth in the 11-team field.

The Scot men were keyed by the performance of sophomore triple jumper Eric Dyer (Lexington, Mass. / Lexington). He was the runner-up in his specialty with a mark of 13.71 meters, only finishing behind Loic Sebuharara of Div. I University at Buffalo (13.97 meters). Also in the field, Wooster received seventh-place individual performances from Robert McConnell (Blairsville, Pa. / Kiski School) in the pole vault (3.75 meters) and Seth Stuck (Cumming, Ga. / Salem) in the javelin (45.25 meters), and Averell Gatton (McLean, Va. / Langley) added a tie for eighth-place in the high jump (1.83 meters). The Scots’ other scorer came on the track, where Mark DeWine (Cedarville, Ohio / Bishop O’Connell – Va.) finished eighth of 20 competitors in the 5000 meters
(16:14.44).

In women’s action, Wooster was paced by junior thrower Katie Dale (West Point, Ind. / McCutcheon), as she took fifth overall in the shot put (11.14 meters) and its sixth-place 4x400 relay team (4:23.15). Noteworthy, the Scots produced several top-10 showings, as Ali Drushal (Lakeville, Ohio / West Holmes) earned ninth in the javelin (35.00 meters), Suzanne Capehart (Oak Hill, Va. / Oakton) crossed 10th in the 800 meters (2:30.92), Kayla Miller (Mercer, Pa. / Mercer Area) hit 10th in the triple jump (10.32 meters), and KateLynn Riley (Westlake, Ohio / Westlake) was 10th in the 100-meter hurdles (16.97), and Miller and Elizabeth Wardrop (Rockford, Mich. / American School of the Hague) were ninth (1.53 meters) and 10th (1.48 meters), respectively, in the high jump.

On March 22, the Scots competed at the non-scoring Lynchburg Invitational in Lynchburg, Va. Wooster had a number of top individual performances.

The Scots’ top finisher was Riley, who placed third overall in the 100-meter hurdles (15.99). Also on the track, Capehart finished fourth in the 1500 meters (5:04.78) and Jessica Yarmosky (Pittsfield, Mass. / Monument Mountain) took 10th in the 800 meters (2:36.56). In the field, Sara Wiswell (Broadview Hts., Ohio / Brecksville-Broadview Heights) cleared 2.60 meters in the pole vault, good for fifth-place; Miller and Wardrop tied for sixth in the high jump (1.42 meters); and Dale earned sixth in the shot put (11.33 meters), and ninth in the discus (32.13 meters).