The NCAA Track and Field Mideast Regional Outdoor Championships held this past weekend at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus served as more than a farewell for four Ohio seniors.
The meet, which included 76 men's and 77 women's teams from as far north as Wisconsin and as far south as Louisiana, saw five Bobcat underclassmen turn in excellent performances and gain valuable experience for the 2004 indoor and outdoor seasons.
"It's our first time in a big meet like this, and I think we did fairly well," Ohio coach Elmore Banton said. "We got some good kids coming back next year and, hopefully, they're going to learn something from this."
The group of Ohio underclassmen competing in the meet included two freshmen, one sophomore and two juniors. Among those was true freshman Scott Mayle, who qualified for the National Outdoor Championships with a long jump of 25 feet, 10 inches. He will next compete June 11-14 at Sacramento, Calif.
Ohio hurdler/jumper Foli James, who competed in a team-high three events, had an impressive showing in the long jump, finishing 13th out of 33. She also participated in the high jump and the100-meter hurdles. James' performance, though, might have been affected because of the meet's atmosphere.
"I didn't feel any pressure," James said. "Once I got here and saw all the other athletes and how they worked I just kind of felt overwhelmed."
Hurdler Jericka Duncan, who finished 10th out of 25 athletes in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:00.16, was not as affected by the quality of competition and the crowd, which numbered at more than 1,000 during each day of the meet.
"I was just happy to make it," she said. "I just expected to come out here and run my best time and that's what I did."
Sprinter/jumper Randi Carter and pole vaulter Boone Troyer also placed well in their events. Carter long jumped 19-00.75, good for a 21st place finish, while Troyer, who finished his first season with the Bobcats by vaulting 15-07.25, placed 20th among 34 pole vaulters. Troyer's place might have been higher had the event not been moved indoors due to excessive wind.
"If we had kept it outside, it would have given us northern boys a chance," he said.
Farewell for four Bobcat seniors
The meet also closed the book on the careers of four seniors, including pole vaulter Jill Meranda, hurdler/sprinter Melody Royster and distance runners Justin Kempe and Tracy Weitthoff.
Kempe, who placed 20th of 33 in the 3000 steeplechase, doubted if his running career would ever really come to a close.
"I can't just drop it," he said. "I'll probably be running for the rest of my life."
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Matt LaWell
