May 1, 2014
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University track and field team recently capped off its 2014 campaign with a superb showing at the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships. The two-day extravaganza was held on the campus of Defiance College on April 25-26.
Friday night was electric and it turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg as junior JEFF PARKER (Bristol, Ind./Northridge) successfully defended his javelin title, winning for the third consecutive year with a toss of 176' 06", besting a quality field of 26 competitors. In women's pole vault, freshman TERRILL WEBB (Kenton) set a new personal record, a new school record and a new conference meet record with a jump of 11' 6.25". For their efforts, Parker and Webb were both honored as First Team All-Heartland Conference when the plaques were handed out on Saturday.
Picking up where Webb and Parker left off the night before, freshman TREY EVERETT (Sidney/Fairlawn) started his day with victory in the long jump. After going in to the final round with a commanding lead, he saw that shaved to a one centimeter difference with the final attempts remaining to be taken. Jumping last in the order, Everett knew he'd won the competition when his closest competitor did not improve his mark on the final attempt. With nothing to lose having thereby won the competition, Everett soared into the pit 22' 2.25" to put an exclamation mark on his win. Immediately following the conclusion of the long jump, Everett moved to the high jump apron where he continued his winning ways with a 6' 6" clearance.
For his historic efforts, Everett not only took home two first team awards, but he also claimed Male Freshman of the Year by virtue of his total points racked up as dual champion in both of the jumps he participated in. However, the icing on the cake was the Male Field Event Athlete of the Year distinction, awarded following a vote by the head coaches. Everett is the first Male Freshman of the Year from Bluffton since Assistant Coach Jason Fisher took home that honor in 2007. It also marks the first time since 2010 that a Bluffton athlete was named Field Athlete of the Year, an honor that also belonged to Fisher.
Bluffton's sixth place finish on the men's side equaled the best finish for either side since 2006 when the women were third and the men came in sixth. Everett, Parker and Webb will continue to train as they prepare for NCAA qualifying meets at Grand Valley on May 9-10. Should they make the mark that weekend, a trip to the NCAA Nationals at Ohio Wesleyan would be on the horizon for May 24-26. Follow the Bluffton University Track webpage for the latest results and updates regarding their quest to represent the Beavers at OWU!
-BEAVERS-