Kara Johnson

Tyler Catlin

With the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships right around the corner, The College of Wooster track and field teams got in one last tune-up at the non-scoring Denison Invitational, and several individuals stood out, like Mark Stair, who tied a 34-year-old program record in the high jump on Friday at Granville, Ohio.

First-year Stair, who captured the Scots' indoor high jump record back in January (6 feet, 7.5 inches), now also owns a share of the outdoor record, as he cleared the bar at 6 feet, 9 inches, which tied Ron Austin's mark from 1980.

Not to be outdone, sophomore Tyler Catlin, who burst onto the scene last week with a program-best 147-foot hammer throw, upped his mark a bit (150 feet) and took first-place in a field of nine.

Another impressive performance came in the 800 meters, where David Brew bested 14 others to cross the finish line first in 1:58.79. John Lanz took third in the 400 meters (51.62) and teamed up with Ben Kingstone, Keir Pace, and Thomas McGrath for an exciting victory in the 4x100 relay (44.14).

Other notable results on the men's side were Jairaj Ranchod placing third in the 800 meters (2:00.42), Shawn Bowman's fourth-place finish in the long jump (19 feet, 6.75 inches), and Joe David's fourth-place in the 3000 meters (9:15.53).

Like the men, the women also won three events, including both the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays. The 4x100 team, which crossed the finish line in 49.71, consisted of Paris Nahas, Edith Anderson, Kara Johnson, and Kennedy Payne, while the 4x400 team (4:10.67) also featured Anderson, as well as Jocelyn Lion, Tricia Hall, and Lauren Buyan.

Also victorious for the women were both Kendra Shehy and Amy French, who tied each other in the high jump by clearing the bar at 4 feet, 10.25 inches.

There were an additional five runner-up finishes, with Katie Cameron in a field of 15 in the long jump (15 feet, 10.25 inches), Allison Chin in the 3000 meters (11:24.80), French in the triple jump (32 feet, 9.5 inches), Hall in the 400 meter dash (1:04.74), and Lion in the 400 hurdles (1:07.86).

Six others earned third-place, including Nahas against 17 others in the 100 meter dash, as she clocked in at 12.85, just ahead of teammate and fourth-place finisher Johnson (12.95).

The first part of the NCAC Championships will kick off this weekend, with the multi-events (decathlon/heptathlon) set to being tomorrow at Gambier, Ohio.