Yeomen, Chrapczynski Look Strong in Preparation for NCAC Championships

Chris Landers, Sports Editor

It was a record-setting day for Oberlin track and field at the North Coast Athletic Conference Indoor Pentathlon last Saturday.

Junior Shawn Chrapczynski set a new school record for total points in the event, racking up 3,105 and finishing just behind Andrew Diehl of Ohio Wesleyan University, who won the event with a total of 3,107 points.

Chrapczynski gained eight team points for the Yeomen, as each athlete can earn points for their team in the NCAC Championships this upcoming weekend by finishing well.

The pentathlon consists of one athlete from each school competing in the 1,000 meters, 55-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump and shot put. Chrapczynski won the long jump with a mark of 21–01.50. He also placed second in the 1,000 meters with a time of two minutes, 51.12 seconds.

“Shawn is just a great competitor,” Head Coach Ray Appenheimer said. “No matter what he does, he approaches it with confidence, resolve and the desire to get the best out of himself. It was fun watching him have five opportunities to do that on one day.”

Sophomore Vlad Bursuc also participated in the event for the Yeomen, finishing in 11th place overall with 2,139 points.

On the women’s side, the senior duo of Amanda Miller and Laura Vernon competed for Oberlin. Miller placed seventh with 2,527 points, while Vernon was one spot behind her with 2,365 points. Combined, the tandem earned three team points for the Yeowomen.

The female pentathlon substituted the 1,000 meters with the 800 meters, the event in which Miller and Vernon were most successful. Vernon took first place with a time of 2:24.08, and Miller finished right on her heels in second place at 2:24.40. Miller capped her day by winning the shot put with a distance of 32 feet, 06.25 inches.

“Laura and I have been training since January. [The pentathlon] was the culmination of months of hard work and I think we did what we came to do,” Miller said. “The 800 meters was our secret weapon and we finished first and second in it and ended up running a time that ranked us three and four overall for the upcoming conference meet.”

Next up for both the men and women are the NCAC Championships, which will take place at John W. Heisman Fieldhouse this Saturday and Sunday.

“There’s no magic to this,” Appenheimer said, “Our athletes are prepared to do their best. If they bring to the conference meet the same joy they have brought to practice and to their competitions all year long, then our success is guaranteed.”