by Nate Smith
Bluffton collected two Top 3 finishes at the All-Ohio Division III Track & Field Championships over the weekend, but arguably the top performances for the Beavers came from their relays. Three of Bluffton's four relays placed at the championships, and the one that didn't broke their own school record.
The top finishes from the weekend belonged to a couple of freshmen, Jeremy King and Rita Muether. King finished in a tie for third place in the high jump, after matching his best jump outdoors this year at 6' 2". Muether, meanwhile, finished 3rd in the 100 meters, followed closely by sophomore teammate Jana Hammer, who finished 4th. Muether also claimed a 5th-place finish in a very strong 200 meter field.
The top performances on Saturday, though, may have belonged to Bluffton's foursomes. Both 4x100 meter relay teams placed in the meet, as the women narrowly broke their own school record in 51.31 to place 8th, while the men finished in a time of 43.74 to place 7th. Both 4x400 meter relays then capped the meet with impressive performances. The men's team of Al Pearson, Jason Lehman, Dan Rosebrock, and Troy Baumer recorded one of the best times in school history at 3:25.19, while finishing 6th overall. The women's team then followed with an equally impressive performance, lowering four seconds off their own school record. The quartet of Muether, Marquita Miller, Stephanie Welch, and Amanda Habegger recorded a time of 4:10.15, while finishing 10th overall.
The Beavers finished 11th in team scoring on the men's side, while scoring 19.5 points. Bluffton's women, meanwhile, scored 23 points to place 12th. The following is a listing of all the scoring performances for the Beavers at the All-Ohio Championships:
MEN
4x100 relay: Dodds, Ja. Lehman, Pearson, Nusbaum - 7th, 43.74
400m hurdles: Troy Baumer - 7th, 57.30 (56.63 in trials)
4x400 relay: Pearson, Ja. Lehman, Rosebrock, Baumer - 6th, 3:25.19
HJ: Jeremy King - 3rd, 6-2
PV: Fred Yoder - 6th, 13-6
HT: Jeff Lehman - 5th, 116-2
WOMEN
4x100 relay: Habegger, Hammer, Muether, M. Miller - 8th, 51.31
100 meters: Rita Muether - 3rd, 13.28 (13.20 trials); Jana Hammer - 4th - 13.31 (13.28 trials)
200 meters: Rita Muether - 5th, 26.56 (26.84 trials)
HT: Michele Bailey - 5th, 114-11; Megan Beach - 6th, 111-3