Track and Field – The Oberlin Review

Oberlin’s Hammer Throwers Compete With Passion, Win Big, Despite Dangers

May 3, 2019

The hammer throw might be the most dangerous event in the sport of track and field. It injures, and occasionally kills, more athletes and spectators per year than any other track and field event. Because of its inherent danger, it has been banned from most high school programs across the country. Ironically enough, for many Oberlin field athletes who participate in the hammer throw along with shot put, javelin, and weight throw, the hammer remains their favorite event. “Yeah, there’s...

Pole Vaulter Sarah Voit Finds Success in Her Very First Season

Alexis Dill, Sports Editor

April 26, 2019

Filed under SPORTS, Track and Field, Varsity Sports, Varsity Spring

At the Case Western Reserve University Invitational last Saturday, first-year pole vaulter Sarah Voit cleared 11’-03.75” to win the event — something she has done at seven of the 11 meets she has competed at during her collegiate career. With two school records and one North Coast Athletic Conference Championship already under her belt, Voit is favored to win the Outdoor NCAC Championship next weekend at Kenyon College. However, Voit’s sights are set even higher. With just four weekends of competition left, she is hoping to qualify for the NCAA Championships, which will take place May 23–25 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. According to Voit, qualifying for nationals would be the icin...

Facing Uncertainty, Cavicchio Switches Fields, Finds Support

April 12, 2019

In the second semester of her senior year at Oberlin, Millie Cavicchio is getting a fresh start. After three rocky years of attempting to manage her softball career amidst injuries, surgeries, and other setbacks, Cavicchio has found an unexpected home for herself on the Oberlin track and field team as one of two javelin throwers on the women’s side. “I’ve been so happy this season,” Cavicchio said, “because I finally have a chance to compete — something I haven’t been able to do...

Good Recruiting Leads to Great Success for Cross Country, Track and Field

September 14, 2018

It was four months ago that Lilah Drafts-Johnson, OC ’18, clutched her first-place trophy while being mobbed by teammates and coaches. She had just run the 10th fastest 400-meter hurdle time in the event’s history at the NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and could finally call herself a national champion — a promise she made to herself three years earlier. Two days later, it was her Oberlin College diploma that she held with pride. After four year...

Newton, Drafts-Johnson Lead Team to NCAC Championship

May 11, 2018

Many words have been used to describe the women’s track and field team: victorious, dominant, and inspiring are a few key examples. One word that is not in the team’s vocabulary is complacent. The team won its second straight North Coast Athletic Conference Outdoor Championship with a total of 228 points Saturday, a few months after winning its second consecutive Indoor Championship. A number of Yeowomen had career-best performances during the two-day contest. Head Coach Ray Appenheimer, who was ...

Track and Field Teams Dominate at All-Ohio

April 20, 2018

Under Head Coach Ray Appenheimer, Oberlin’s track and field athletes have consistently broken school records and earned personal bests by avoiding complacency and encouraging each other to be the best possible athletes, teammates, and leaders every single meet. On Saturday, the No. 12 Yeowomen continued their dominance by placing first at the All-Ohio Championships with a grand total of 124 points. Seniors Lilah Drafts-Johnson and Monique Newton highlighted the day, combining for 48 team poin...

Yeomen, Women Take Senior Day at Bob Kahn Invitational

April 13, 2018

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 b...

Heptathletes Score in NCAC Multi-Event Championships

May 5, 2017

Scattered around the state this past weekend, portions of the track and field team competed in meets at Ashland University, Denison University and right here at home, where Oberlin hosted the North Coast Athletic Conference Multi-Event Championships. In the multi-events, Oberlin was represented in the heptathlon by experienced junior Lisa Carle and first-time heptathletes, first-years Jasmine Keegan and Christine Impara. The trio fought through fatigue to deliver strong performances that earned...

Track and Field Nabs NCAC Accolades with Kenyon Meet

April 28, 2017

The Yeowomen track and field team triumphed for the second time this spring by securing a first-place finish at the Kenyon College Invitational last Saturday with 261 points. On the men’s side, Oberlin finished in third place with 115.50 points among the seven-team field. Head Coach Ray Appenheimer said he was pleased with the teams’ performances in preparation for the North Coast Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships in Greencastle, IN, May 5–6. “Everything we’re doing right now...

Track and Field Builds on Indoor Season’s Momentum

April 14, 2017

Both track and field teams honored their seniors in an emotional ceremony last Saturday as they took to their home turf in the annual Bob Kahn Invitational. Though the events were moved back in the day because of rain, the Senior Day festivities stayed on schedule, providing the participants a rare opportunity to celebrate their seniors as a team instead of splitting up at various events. “It’s the first time since I’ve been here that the entire team was there supporting, and I think for a l...

In The Locker Room with Women’s Track and Field

March 31, 2017

In The Locker Room with Lilah Drafts-Johnson and Monique Newton This week, the Review sat down with junior sprinter/jumper Lilah Drafts-Johnson and junior thrower Monique Newton to talk about the women’s team’s first outright conference championship in school history, the duo’s experiences competing at Nationals and their expectations for the outdoor season. In the NCAA Division III Indoor Championship, Newton shattered records across the board, placing first in the nation at shot put an...

Track, Field Collects NCAC Athlete of the Week Awards

February 17, 2017

Currently ranked 15th in the nation, Yeowomen track and field racked up record-breaking performances Feb. 11 at the All-Ohio Championships, as junior Lilah Drafts-Johnson set two school records. Propelling the women’s team to a fourth place finish, Drafts-Johnson earned her NCAC Sprinter/Hurdler of the Week honors. “Lilah Drafts-Johnson was an absolute star,” said Head Track and Field Coach Ray Appenheimer. “She’s been working so hard. It was great to see her mark these [records] off he...