LC's Flynn, RC's Osborne and Yerkes Grab Two Awards
MARIETTA, Ohio --- Several of the ODAC's top
men's and women's outdoor track athletes competed at the 2009 NCAA
Division III Track & Field Championships at Marietta College
(Ohio) over the weekend. The performance of the league's
contingent was strong to say the least as athletes from Bridgewater
College, Eastern Mennonite University, Lynchburg College, Roanoke
College and Washington and Lee University returned to the
Commonwealth with 10 combined All-American honors.
On the men's side, the Hornets' Ricky Flynn led a group of seven
ODAC male athletes with a pair of United States Track & Field
and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American
Awards. Roanoke's JaLeesa Osborne and Robin Yerkes were each
double high-honor winners amongst the ODAC's eight female
competitors. Bridgewater's Courtney Hartman, Roanoke's
Candace Lewis and Jazamine Stallings, and Washington and Lee's
Stacy Doornbos also earned All-American accolades.
Flynn's two honors over the weekend marked his third and fourth of
the year as he won A-A honors in cross country and indoor track
(5,000-meter run). The junior standout finished fifth in the
outdoor 5,000-meter event, crossing the line in 14:49.46. His
best performance came earlier in the meet when he placed second in
the 10,000-meter run, just three seconds off the lead with a time
of 30:57.71.
EMU's Michael Allen and Lynchburg's Brandon Edwards participated in
the triple jump. Edwards leapt 46-feet 10.25-inches while
Allen landed 46-feet 4.75-inches from his starting point.
Both finished outside of the top eight in the final standings, the
benchmark required for All-American recognition.
Lynchburg also sent its 4x400-meter relay team to Ohio. The
squad of Rashard Adams, Chris Word, Edwards and Earl Graves posted
a time of 3:16.13. The Hornets' James Bell qualified for the
national competition in the pole vault, but he did not register a
mark in the event.
Yerkes put an exclamation point on a banner season that already
included a national championship at the 2009 NCAA Division III
Indoor Track Championships in the 400-meter dash. She fell
0.50 seconds shy of sweeping the event as she finished second in
the outdoor 400-meter dash with a time of 54.78. Her second
All-American honor of the meet came in the 4x100-meter relay.
Yerkes ran the anchor leg with teammates Osborne, Lewis and
Stallings, with the group finishing eighth with a time of
47.59. Each earned All-American status with the high
placing.
Yerkes also took to the track at Don Drumm Stadium in the 200-meter
dash. She finished with at time of 24.83, missing a spot in
the top eight by 0.03 seconds.
Osborne, with one All-American award in the 4x100 relay, added a
second in the long jump. The junior two sport athlete
(basketball) sprang 18-feet 2.5-inches to place sixth in the
event. She also competed in the 100-meter dash, posting a
time of 12.46.
Two ODAC athletes took part in the heptathlon, a seven-event
discipline (100 hurdles, 200 dash, 800 run, high and long jumps,
shot put and javelin) covering two days of competition.
Washington and Lee's Doornbos set a school record by accumulating
4,764 points to finish fourth in the finals standings.
Bridgewater's Hartman racked up 4,546 points on her way to
finishing six overall and breaking her own Eagles' program
standard. Doornbos placed second in the 100-meter hurdles
(14.82) and long jump (17' 2.25") while finishing fourth in the
200-meter dash (26.22). Hartman won the 200-meter dash
(25.72) while placing fourth in the shot put (35' 2.5") and fifth
in the javelin (116' 9.0").
Hartman added to her docket as she competed in the individual
200-meter dash. She posted a time of 25.80, outside of the
top eight. BC teammate Christina Rhodes took part in the pole
vault. She cleared 11-feet 4.5-inches, good enough for a tie
for 14th.
Roanoke's Sarah Witt made it five Maroons in Marietta. The
reigning ODAC top freshman posted a time of 15.04 in the 100-meter
hurdles.
Posted below are links to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track &
Field Championships website and results. For more
information, use those links or visit the NCAA at www.ncaa.com.
Championship Website
Men's Results
Women's Results