BEREA, Ohio – With the assistance of its established veterans, the Baldwin Wallace University men's track and field teams will rely on a young group to lead its high Ohio Athletic Conference aspirations in 2020.
Head coach Jordan Hill '09, who is entering her second full season at the helm of the team, returns 10 letterwinners, two All-OAC performers, and one national qualifier from last year's team that placed sixth at both the OAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Hill also welcomes 16 new faces to the track this season.
The lone returning national qualifier, senior All-OAC thrower Ted Achladis (Avon Lake/Elyria Catholic), will set the bar for BW this season. In his career, he has garnered All-OAC honors in the discus three times and the shot put twice, which includes one OAC title.
The throwers are joined by junior Patrick Coughlin (Middleburg Heights/Berea-Midpark) and sophomore Matthew Staley (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry), who will aim to make a bigger impact for the Yellow Jackets as well. The throwers will also welcome freshman Jimmy Bateman (Parma/Valley Forge), who is set to make is collegiate debut.
Staley, the only returning jumper for BW, will be accompanied by incoming freshmen Luke Salmon (Sandusky/Perkins), and Brandon Stevens (Mount Gilead), who eagerly await their inaugurating jumping events.
On the track, the Yellow Jackets will depend on their experienced clan of distance runners, fresh off their fall cross country season. Junior Josh Hickmott (Clay, N.Y./Liverpool) is the sole returning All-OAC distance runner for BW, having claimed an OAC title in the 3000-meter steeplechase, and a second-place finish in the 5000-meter event at the 2018 OAC Championships. Senior Isaac Wilson (Tylersburg, Pa./North Clarion), who has had a terrific four-year cross country career for the Yellow Jackets, will hope to translate his successes onto the track for his final athletic season.
Other distance-running returners on the squad include juniors Andrew Krupp (Ottawa Hills), Jose Reynoso (Painesville/Harvey), Spencer Roberts (West Seneca, N.Y./West), Larry Salerno (Mentor), as well as sophomores David Prather (Hardin, Mont.), Joe Juda (Strongsville), Zach Riggins (Wexford, Pa./Pine-Richland), Jeremy Coad (Dublin/Jerome), and John Komaromy-Hiller (Edgewood, Ky./Villa Madonna Academy).
Also hoping to score some valuable points for the distance runners this season are freshmen Nick Dascani (Toledo/Springfield), Hunter Evans (Milford/Archbishop McNicholas), Zack Justus (Maineville/Kings), Garry Murray (Creston/Norwayne), Kyle White (Mount Gilead), and Lucas Simonetti (Pittsford, N.Y./Sutherland).
BW will be dealing with a nearly entire clean slate in the sprinters category, with sophomore Drew Kopchak (Port Clinton) being the only returning sprinter from last season's roster. He will be surrounded by a very young core of sprinters, which includes freshmen Alex Burkhammer (Chardon/Grand Valley), ShaDaryll Clark (Brook Park/Berea-Midpark), Daniel Kishmarton (Wickliffe), Sherman Lawson (Cleveland/James Ford Rhodes), Jake Robertshaw (South Park, Pa.), and LJ Tijerina (Archbold). Freshman Yellow Jackets football place-kicker Dean Sarris (Canton/GlenOak), and sophomore newcomer Joe Johnson (Cleveland/James Ford Rhodes) also anticipate making their collegiate track debuts.
An all-freshman crop of sprinters which consists of Burkhammer, Clark, Kishmarton, and Robertshaw will make up the foundation of BW's hurdlers this season.
The Yellow Jackets begin the 2019-20 indoor season on Saturday, January 25, when BW travels to Westerville to compete in the Otterbein Invitational, hosted by Otterbein University inside the Clements Recreation Center. The Yellow Jackets will host the Dr. Taraschke Team Challenge on Saturday, February 1, and the Mid-February Meet on Friday, February 14, during the indoor season and the 51th Sparky Adams Invitational on Saturday, April 18, and the Harrison Dillard Twilight on Friday, May 8, during the outdoor season.
The OAC Indoor Championships will be hosted by Marietta College from February 28-29 inside the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center while Heidelberg University hosts the OAC Outdoor Championships from April 30-May 1 inside Hoernemann Stadium.
