BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University men's indoor track and field teams finished fifth at the Dr. William Taraschke Team Challenge, hosted on the Harrison Dillard Track inside the Lou Higgins Center Fieldhouse.
Two teams each from the Ohio Athletic Conference, the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) and the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) competed in the meet. BW placed fifth of six teams with a total of 77 points. Otterbein University captured the team title with 182 points.
The reigning OAC Men's Field Athlete of the Week, senior All-OAC thrower Zak Dysert (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) remained perfect in the weight throw, winning the event for the second consecutive week when he hit a mark of 59 feet, 9.5 inches. Meanwhile, junior All-OAC thrower Ted Achladis (Avon Lake/Elyria Catholic) took fifth in the same event with a career-best toss of 51'11". Achladis and Dysert also finished second and third, respectively, in the shot put with throws of 48'10" and 48'1.25", respectively, marking a career-best for Dysert.
Staying in the field, sophomore jumper/sprinter Alex Dempsey (Madison) and freshman Garrett Fess (North Olmsted) placed third and fourth, respectively, in the high jump. Dempsey cleared a mark of 5'10.75" while Fess hit a height of 5'8.75".
On the track, freshman distance runner Nate Matthews (Marietta) took third in the 400-meter dash, crossing the finish line in 51.76 seconds. Fellow freshman distance runner David Prather (Hardin, Mont.) finished fifth in the 800-meter run in a time of 2:03.23.
Junior hurdler Robby Becker (South Amherst/Firelands) and Fess combined for fifth- and seventh-place finishes in the 55-meter hurdle finals, respectively. Becker raced to a career best of 8.07 seconds career best while Fess finished in a time of 8.16 seconds. Sophomore All-OAC distance runner Josh Hickmott (Clay, N.Y./Liverpool) had the best distance result with a seventh-place finish in the 5,000-meter run in a time of 15:42.18.
In relay action, the 4x400-meter relay team of senior Academic All-OAC sprinter Brandon Cole (Vermillion), freshman distance runner Joe Juda (Strongsville), Matthews and Fess placed third in a time of 3:38.43.
BW will compete again in the two-day Hillsdale "Wide Track" Open on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1-2, at hosted by NCAA Division II Hillsdale (Mich.) College inside the Margot V. Biermann Athletic Center.
