The Yeomen and Yeowomen track and field teams invited 19 different teams — 9 women’s and 10 men’s — to their annual Bob Kahn Invitational for Senior Day, besting them all as they both claimed first place last weekend. While the Yeowomen have been no strangers to success this season as they look to claim their second consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship, the men had yet to claim a first-place finish until last weekend.

“We were really proud of how well both teams competed in what was the deepest field we’ve had at the Bob Kahn Invitational in some years,” said Head Track and Field Coach Ray Appenheimer. “It bodes well for this weekend’s All-Ohio Meet and the conference meet early in May.”

Senior Monique Newton raked in points in the women’s field events by clinching the top spot on the podium in both the shot-put and the discus. Her shot-put landed at the 146–06.00 mark, while the discus was recorded at 44–04.00 — some of the best heaves recorded in the entire NCAA Division III record books, going down as fourth in the shot-put event and third in the discus event. The Yeowomen also snagged both the first and second-place spots in the triple jump by senior Annie Goodridge and junior Olivia Woods, respectively. It was an encouraging outing for Goodridge, who earned the 34–11.75 mark after having taken a few weeks off mid-season for injury prevention. According to Goodridge, the meet lifted the spirits of the entire team, hers included.

“Everyone on the team has been in the best shape I’ve ever seen in a really long time,” she said. “[We are all] in that mode that we are competing and really succeeding. It’s a wonderful feeling. Outdoor track is really fun.”

In the men’s field events, the Yeomen did not disappoint. Junior Hank Sinn sank a 170–09 hammer toss to grab first place in the event and later went on to get fourth in the discus with a 129–07.00 mark. First-year Adriano Atallah impressed during his performances, coming in first and second in the long jump and 110-meter hurdles respectively, as he leapt a 21–02.75 and clocked a time of 16.20. Junior Jahkeem Wheatley, however, seemed to shine brightest for the men. In the pole vault, he managed to clear 13–05.75 feet, out-jumping the second-place finisher by over a foot.

While the win was worth celebrating, Wheatley was quick to point out that there is always room for improvement.

“It was good to get a win, but it’s not how high I want to be jumping,” he said. “Mentally I’m in a good spot right now, so I feel I’m getting into that championship mindset again,” Wheatley said.

On the track side, the Yeowomen filled first through third-place in the 1,500-meter race. Sophomore Marija Crook finished with a winning time of 4:53.31, followed by fellow sophomores Oona Jung-Beeman and Shannon Wargo. Junior Imani Cook-Gist crossed the finish line at 13.01 in the 100-meter dash, just shy of her career best of 12.54. Three other teammates clinched second-place through fourth-place in the same event, adding to the team’s overall success.

The Yeomen also triumphed on the track, as highlighted by first-year Archie Velazquez’s first-place completion of the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:26.05. Senior James Tanford won the 400-meter dash in 50.48 seconds and later took part in winning the 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relays with teammates Atallah, first-year Malachi Clemons, and junior John Olsen. The win was a positive outcome amid a particularly cold transition from the indoor to outdoor season.

“We’ve had a bit of a late spring in Oberlin this year,” Appenheimer said. “Regardless, the team has been undeterred. We understand that while the elements might curb our overall performance from time to time, it never gets in the way of our effort.”

Track and field will be competing tomorrow at Ohio Wesleyan University for the All-Ohio Championships.