OBERLIN, Ohio – Senior Will McMichael won his fourth 400 meters title at the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships in near-record fashion, and The College of Wooster track & field program finished the meet with four titles and 12 all-conference certificates. Wooster's women placed sixth of eight teams with 84.5 points, while the men were seventh of nine programs at 69.5 points.
McMichael's tape-breaking 48.51 was just off his school-record pace of 48.47, and it marked a victory of over half a second over archrival Wittenberg University's Ezekiel Bennett, who was the runner-up Friday at 49.06. Of note, McMichael moved into a tie for fifth-place in program history for most NCAC first-place finishes. The senior had one more all-conference run in him, with the neuroscience major anchoring the meet-capping 4x400 relay to a second-place finished. McMichael, who earned his eighth career All-NCAC certificate, was joined by junior Joe Shilts, senior Nick Scherson, and sophomore Davis Patterson, and the quartet went 3:22.40.
Senior Claudia Partridge's successful high jump clearance on the first try at 5 feet, 1 inch led to all-conference honors, as that was the second-highest mark of the day, and the initial try proved crucial in the all-conference race. Wittenberg's Julissa Williams matched Partridge on the progression and the duo wound up sharing second-place. Wooster sophomore Drew Patterson also cleared 5 feet, 1 inch, and settled for fourth-place in the event after needing two tries to successfully clear the bar at that height.
Senior Maya Vasta capped a very successful career with 10 All-NCAC certificates, thanks to scoring two more on Friday. First, the statistical and data sciences major logged a collegiate-best time of 1:00.44 in the 400 meters, taking third-place in the process. In her final collegiate race, Vasta teamed with junior Haley Bloom, first-year Igna Mendez, and sophomore Athena Tharenos for a 4:12.23 in the 4x400 relay, and Wooster's crew captured the final all-conference spot.
Elsewhere on the men's side, some of Wooster's most experienced conference competitors just missed on scoring All-NCAC honors. Senior Alex DeLong's 3:59.96 ranked fourth in the 1,500 meters, and that placement was matched by Shilts in the 400-meter hurdles. Shilts went 57.23 in Friday's championship heat.
Rounding out the men's track events, first-year Will Callender scored in the 5,000 meters with the seventh-place time of 15:30.57. Shilts, Scherson, senior Troy Baughman, and Patterson posted a time of 45.15 in the 4x100 relay, which ranked eighth.
Baughman and first-year Isaiah Kidd led the men's field event entries on Friday. Baughman's throw of 151 feet, 10 inches was good for fifth-place in the javelin, while Kidd measured out to 41 feet, 3 inches in the triple jump, with that also going in the books as the fifth-place mark. First-year Vell Robinson backed Kidd up in the triple jump at 39 feet, 2.5 inches, which was the seventh-place measurement, and junior Luke Henke went 5 feet, 10.75 inches in the high jump to claim seventh-place.
On the women's side, senior Isabelle Hoover led the non-All-NCAC scorers with the fourth-place time of 18:05.28 in the 5,000 meters. Vasta was one of three Scots to score in the 400 meters. There, Bloom took sixth-place at 1:02.54 and Mendez was exactly one second back of the junior's time, in what marked a seventh-place finish. Individually, Vasta scored in the 200 meters with the sixth-place time of 26.91, and she ran leg two of Wooster's sixth-place 4x100 relay. First-year Maia Doescher, Patterson, and first-year Claire Mackin joined Vasta for a time of 50.86.
Patterson rounded out the women's field event scorers by taking sixth-place in the triple jump with a top mark of 33 feet, 5.25 inches.
Wabash College overtook Denison University for the men's title with 171 points. The Big Red's 132.5 points marked the runner-up tally. Wittenberg (107 points), Oberlin College (88 points), DePauw University (83 points), Allegheny College (76 points), Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan University (58 points), and Kenyon College (34 points) rounded out the standings. Host Oberlin ran away with the women's title with 187 points, as the Yeowomen finished 60 points clear of runner-up Ohio Wesleyan. DePauw (121.5 points), Denison (99 points), Allegheny (91 points), Wooster (84.5 points), Wittenberg (72 points), and Kenyon (35 points) were the final order down the line on the women's side.
Next, select Scots are off to final qualifying meets in an effort to chase spots in the upcoming NCAA Div. III Championships. Baldwin Wallace University's Harrison Dillard Twilight Meet on Friday, May 13 is he first of those meets the Scots are scheduled to take part in.
photo by Abbi Tarburton '22