1st of 10 at NCAC championship

May 1-2, 2008

Junior Ryan Ellis (Columbus/Dublin Scioto) and sophomore David Burke (Hudson) were honored as Athletes of the Meet in leading Ohio Wesleyan to the North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet on Thursday and Friday at Selby Field and the George Gauthier Track.

Ohio Wesleyan won the meet with 236 points to 150 for Allegheny. Wabash finished third with 148 1/2 points, followed by Oberlin (74), Wooster (59), Wittenberg (56 1/2), Denison (50), Earlham (40), Kenyon (4) and Hiram (0).
Thursday Results
Friday Results

The conference title was Ohio Wesleyan's first NCAC outdoor crown since 2001 and completed an indoor-outdoor championship sweep for the Battling Bishops.

Ellis was named Sprinter/Hurdler of the Year after winning the 200- and 400-meter dashes in respective times of :22.33 and :49.40. He also ran on a pair of first-place relay teams, combining with freshman Jordon Exeter (Toronto, Ontario/Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy), junior Nathan Osborn (Edgerton) and freshman Sean Patrick (Delaware/Hayes) to win the 400-meter relay in :42.44; and teaming with Nathan Osborn, Patrick and junior Preston Osborn (Edgerton) to win the 1600-meter relay in 3:20.90.

Burke was named Field Event Performer of the Year. He won the long jump with a leap of 22-2 1/2, won all-conference honors with a third in the triple jump, and added a fifth in the high jump. He is pictured at right with Dennis Collins, executive director of the NCAC.

Also winning NCAC championships were junior Alex Havran (Woodinville, Wash./Overlake), who won the javelin with a throw of 171-11, received all-conference honors with a second-place finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase, and finished fourth in the decathlon; Patrick, who won the 100-meter dash in :11.30 and took all-conference honors with a second-place finish in the 200-meter dash; and junior Andrew Bloom (Powell/Worthington Kilbourne), who won the decathlon with a total of 5804 points, breaking the school record of 5770 set by Justin Blackburn in 2006, and added a fourth in the 110-meter hurdles and a fifth in the javelin.

All-NCAC honors also went to freshman Jack Schemenauer (Luckey/Eastwood), who placed second in the 110- and 400-meter hurdles; Exeter, who finished second in the 100-meter dash and third in the 200-meter dash; senior Joshua Steinke (Wapakoneta), who finished second in the discus; sophomore Steve Brown (Redford Township, Mich./Redford), who was third in the 110-meter hurdles and fourth in the 100-meter dash; junior Clay Davis (Dublin/Coffman), who finished third in the 10,000-meter run and seventh in the 5000-meter run; Preston Osborn, who was third in the 400-meter dash and seventh in the 200-meter dash; and junior David Stefanik (Wooster), who placed third in the 3000-meter steeplechase and eighth in the 5000-meter run.

Other standouts for the Bishops included sophomore Kyle Faris (Olmsted Falls), who placed fourth in the discus and the hammer and fifth in the shot put; junior Brandon Hunter (Twinsburg), who was fourth in the javelin; junior Jon Smith (Clyde/Bellevue), who finished fifth in the pole vault; sophomore Bryce Mathias (Centerburg), who was fifth in the 400-meter hurdles; junior Bobby Polley (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny), who placed sixth in the javelin; Nathan Osborn, who was sixth in the 200-meter dash; freshman Jon Voiles (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), who was seventh in the pole vault; sophomore Christian Schlabach (Wooster/Triway), who placed seventh in the 800-meter run; senior Joe Berlyoung (Elyria/Avon), who finished eighth in the 400-meter dash; and senior Pete MacLeod (Hudson), who was eighth in the 10,000-meter run.

Sprinter/Hurdler of the Year
Ryan Ellis, Ohio Wesleyan

Middle Distance/Distance Runner of the Year
Geoff Lambert, Wabash

Field Event Performer of the Year
David Burke, Ohio Wesleyan

Coach of the Year
Kris Boey, Ohio Wesleyan