Competing in an unseasonable 80 degrees and running into a headwind at the Wooster Invitational last Saturday, the track and field team performed confidently in a meet marked by personal bests, steeplechase debuts, and a North Coast Athletic Conference championship qualifier. The men’s team finished seventh out of 14 teams with 33 points, while the women placed eighth out of 13 teams with 37 points, marked by two standout wins by third-year Char Purcell and fourth-year Liam Newman.
On the track, Oberlin’s distance runners delivered some of the most dominant performances of the meet. Newman won the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with commanding speed and control over the more volatile aspects of the steeplechase, namely the hurdles and the water jump. Newman crossed the line in 9 minutes, 50.6 seconds — more than 40 seconds ahead of the next finisher — and secured a place at the NCAC Championships.
“It was an absolute scorcher out there, and the team competed incredibly despite the heat and wind,” Newman said. His victory was hard-won, and he spoke about the grueling training process and what it took to get him the win on Saturday.
“We have weekly mileage … I’ve been running roughly 70 miles a week,” he said. “[There are] workouts over hurdles to get that hurdle practice. … We do water jump [and] true barrier practice. But it’s been going really well, better than it was this time last year, and my steepling last year went quite well. So I’m pretty excited about that.”
Newman also spoke about his qualification for the NCAC Championships.
“Having fun is how a lot of us get the best out of ourselves,” he said. “I think that is how I get the best of myself. I will be at conference to win … I’m gonna try to be as relaxed and laid back as I can be, but that does still mean I’m gonna compete as hard as I possibly can.”
The women’s steeplechase saw an equally impressive showing, with Purcell leading an Oberlin sweep. Purcell won the race in 12:03.43, a conference-qualifying time, followed by first-year Lieke Everts and second-year Solana Pearl, who placed second and third respectively in their event debuts.
“I was really excited to race with [Pearl and Everts] for their first steeplechase race,” Purcell said.
Purcell credited her race preparation for her low-stress competition.
“I really like talking through my race plan with my coaches beforehand … not going out too fast,” she said, noting the importance of conserving energy in such a demanding event. “[The race] felt like smooth sailing. I’ve just had more practice and more experience with [hurdling technique] … I feel like I’m better able to shake off a bad hurdle than I was last year.”
Despite the sunny conditions, the Texas native remained unfazed.
“You can’t really control the weather,” she said. “So you just kind of have to accept what you’re given.”
Her focus extended beyond her own performance, emphasizing the importance of racing alongside teammates.
“Steeple [is] a difficult event … having your teammates to help you out and seeing them during the races is really helpful,” she said. “If they can do it, I can do it.”
Both Purcell and Newman also pointed to the coaching finesse that led them to their Saturday victories.
“Our focus for every athlete on the team for the rest of the season is the same as what we have been focusing on all year –– engaging with the process, working to get better at this sport, committing to the things we’ve been working on in practice, and showing up to each meet excited to put forth our best effort,” Coach Izzy Alexander wrote in an email to the Review. “If we do those things, we will be the best version of this team that we can be.”
Although they are competitive athletes with incredible accomplishments, both Purcell and Newman pointed to a supportive and fun team environment that helped them reach their goals.
“A lot of people like to … put on glitter or temporary tattoos [when they run],” Newman said. “[It] makes it fun, you know … this thing is ultimately supposed to be really fun, and we do a good job of remembering [that] even though [we’re] under pressure.”
