Abena Boamah- Acheampong

Erin Plews-Ogan

Erin Plews-Ogan and Abena Boamah-Acheampong broke North Coast Athletic Conference records in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and high jump, respecitvely, Saturday to help The College of Wooster's women's track and field team to sixth-place at the NCAC Championships, while Luke Hutchings-Goetz and Matt Margida stood out in the men's ninth-place finish at the annual outdoor meet, which was hosted by Kenyon College at Gambier, Ohio.

The women took sixth overall with 64.50 points, which was more than host Kenyon (45) and Allegheny College (38), and just behind fifth-place DePauw University (75.50). The team championship went to Ohio Wesleyan University, which edged out Oberlin College 216 to 209.

Plews-Ogan and Wittenberg's Kristina Martin were well in front of the 12-person field in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, but ultimately, Plews-Ogan crossed the finish line over three seconds quicker than Martin, to not only win an individual championship, but to break the conference record in 11:07.12. The record was held by Oberlin's Piper Nash (11:10.02), who set the mark a year ago. She also reset her own school record (11:16.91).

Plews-Ogan's classmate Lauren Buyan also did well in the same event, placing fourth in 11:47.33.

Also winning an individual championship for Wooster's women's team, and breaking a conference record, was high jumper Boamah-Acheampong, who cleared the bar at 5 feet, 7.25 inches, which wasn't far off her school record (5 feet, 8 inches), and was nearly four inches better than her nearest competitor. The previous record at the NCAC Championships was 5 feet, 6.5 inches by Allegheny's Kari Bonomo in 1996.

Fellow high jumper Kendra Shehy was fifth with 5 feet, 1.75 inches.

Two others picked up all-conference honors, as Hilary Coady placed second in the 400 meter hurdles (1:04.92), while All-American swimmer Kate Hunt capped off her cross over to the track team by taking third in the pole vault (10 feet, 11.75 inches) at her first-ever NCAC Championship meet.

Wooster scored twice in relay events, with its best effort coming in the 4x100 meter relay, where the team of Amy French, Kara Johnson, Paris Nahas, and Stephanie McShane went in on a fifth-place finish (50.35). Also scoring was the 4x400 meter relay team consisting of Ashley Huddson, Edie Anderson, Coady, and Buyan, who were seventh in a very closely-contested race (4:06.25).

Rounding out the Scots' scorers were Jocelyn Lion, who was fifth in the 400 meter hurdles (1:08.08), while Devin Johns took sixth in the javelin throw (95 feet, 8 inches), Buyan took seventh in the 400 meter hurdles (1:09.19), McShane took seventh and eighth in the 200 meter dash (27.28) and 100 meter dash (13.20), respectively, Anderson took eighth in the 400 meter dash (1:01.65), and Veronique Jones was eighth in the shot put (34 feet, 8.5 inches).

The men's team settled for ninth with 31 points, despite some promising individual results from several student-athletes. Wabash College ran away with the team championship with 275.50 points.

For starters, two Scots earned all-conference accolades, including Hutchings-Goetz, who was second in the 10,000 meter run in 33:06.12. Hutching-Goetz also scored strongly in the 5,000 meter run (15.26.46) by crossing the finish line fifth.

Also all-conference was Margida, who earned his first-ever such honor by placing third in a field of 18 in the shot put with a throw of 47 feet, 9.25 inches. Like Hutchings-Goetz, Margida also scored twice, as he added a fifth-place effort in the discus throw (137 feet, 9 inches).

Some other highlights on the men's side were Morgan Clark's fourth-place run in the 10,000 meters (33:19.60), swim standout Peter Parisi's sixth-place javelin throw (166 feet, 1 inch), and also, the 4x400 meter relay team of Ruku Borah, John Lanz, Jay Marshall, David Brew, which turned in an eighth-place showing in 3:28.51. 

A handful of Scots will continue their season Friday at the Gator Invitational at Allegheny College with hopes of improving their chances of a bid to compete at the NCAA Div. III Championships.