Men's Track

2008 Indoor Track Preview

For Immediate Release:
Feb. 1, 2008

RICHMOND, Ind. — The Earlham College men’s track team starts its fifth season under Head Coach Nick Johnson in Saturday’s North Coast Athletic Conference Relays indoors at Denison University.

Johnson always looks forward to the first meet of the year. “I’m excited to start the season with the conference relays,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to evaluate our personnel early in the process of preparing our team for the NCAC Indoor Championships and the outdoor season.”

The event starts inside the Mitchell Recreation and Athletics Center at 2 p.m. in Granville, Ohio.

Three-time Earlham Most Valuable Performer and Steeplechase All-American Walker Yane (Oldenburg, IN/St. Xavier, OH) graduated so the Quakers must rely on a lot of youth. “We have some inexperienced competitors who are going to have to contribute right away.” Johnson said.

Sophomore Chris Shaw (Anderson, IN/Pendleton Heights) is one of the leading performers back for the Quakers. Shaw was named the team’s Most Outstanding First-Year after winning the discus at the NCAC Outdoor Championships last season. He was also named the NCAC Field Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season last spring.

Senior Mwaura Wambiga (Nairobu, Kenya/Li Po Chun) was selected as Earlham’s Most Improved Performer a year ago. Wambiga finished seventh in the triple jump during the conference outdoor championships last year.

Sophomore Bo Braun (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) was a member of the 800-relay team that was seventh in last year’s NCAC Indoor Championships. During the outdoor season last spring, Braun was seventh as an individual in the 400 at the NCAC Championships.

The upperclassmen for the Quakers are seniors Mark Boylan (Holliston, MA/Holliston) and Lamont Watson (Philadelphia, PA/University), juniors James Haley (Bloomington, IN/South), Eric Holman (North Yarmouth, ME/Greely) and David Schultz (Wilmette, IL/New Trier, sophomores Ibrahim Abdoulaye Ly (Niamey, Niger/Li Po Chun), Evan Fackler (Shelby, OH/Plymouth), Will Katz (Seattle, WA/Garfield) and John White (Ann Arbor, MI/Huron).

Lenden Bowsman (New Castle, IN/New Castle), Cyrus Dudgeon (Cambridge, MA/Rindge and Latin), Jonah Kreniske (New York, NY/Martin Luther King), Austin Manahan (Orlando, FL/University), Adam Rozich (Eau Clare, WI/Altoona), Andrew Vedder (Ridgewood, NY/Ridgewood), Nathaniel Welch (Newburyport, MA/Newburyport) and Chad Wertman (Holland, IN/Southridge) are all first-years on the squad.

After the NCAC Relays, the Quakers will participate in the Anderson Invitational (Feb. 9), the DePauw Classic (Feb. 16) and the NCAC Indoor Championships (Feb. 29-March 1) at Denison. The NCAA Div. III National Championships are March 14-15 in Ada, Ohio. Earlham’s outdoor schedule begins with the Hanover Invitational on March 29.

— EC —

Contact:
Don Tincher, sports information director
765/983-1795 — E-Mail Don