On Feb. 11, a frigid Saturday, the Otterbein Cardinals hosted the All-Ohio Division III track meet at the Rike Center. The men’s team scored 35 points and placed eighth in the 18-team meet while the women continued their hot streak and scored 57.5 and placed fourth in the 19-team meet.
The atmosphere was electric, the meet was filled with great competition and both the male and female Cardinals were ready to deliver.
The day started out with the field events.
“The All-Ohio atmosphere is much more intense than normal track meetings. I was excited and ready to go,” senior Karl Wunderle said before his pole vaulting event. At the event, Wunderle and junior Aaric Milligan tied for third place.
“I got back to where I need to compete at the national level, but my height cleared did not reflect it,” Wunderle said.
The women’s long jump had three Cardinals placing in the top eight.
Junior Kristen Bennett came into the meet having previously completed a 5.41 seed mark. She placed second in long jump with 18 feet 2.5 inches, which was only half an inch away from first place. But the jump set an Otterbein indoor track record.
Bennett said she is proud of her performance, but is still very competitive.
She said, “I am proud of my teammates, freshman Abbey Gray and freshman Kristen Norris. They both set their personal records and were in the top eight as well.”
Overall, both the men’s and women’s teams experienced success. Their family-like unity could be seen throughout the meet as they exchanged kind words and motivated each other.
“I feel like we brought a lot of energy to the track,” Wunderle said. “Everyone was cheering their teammates on, and even those who weren’t competing were out there being loud and supporting their teammates. It was a great atmosphere from a team’s perspective. The excitement really helped us compete well.”
The men and women will travel across town to take on rival Capital University Feb. 18.
