LA CROSSE, Wis. --- Two women and a pair of men highlighted the ODAC's showing at the 2018 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships as the quartet earned All-American honors with top-eight performances in their respective events. All eight athletes representing conference-member schools acquitted themselves well over three days of competition in La Crosse, Wis.
Eastern Mennonite University senior Connor Faint capped his career with a national third-place showing in the 400-meter hurldes, while Roanoke College sprinter Quinn Harlan closed an impressive first season at the Salem-based school with a third place time in the 100-meter dash. Fellow Maroon Mara Briggs registered a fourth-place clearance in the high jump to complete her sophomore year, and Bridgewater College junior Davonta Womack rang up a sixth-place showing in the 100-meter dash.
The remaining four members of the ODAC's championship contingent include a trio of seniors that closed impressive careers. Bridgewater's Amber Celen put the finishing touches on one of the most successful track & field careers in conference history by competing in a pair of events. Lynchburg College two-sport star Natalie Deacon and Virginia Wesleyan University standout Marissa Coombs went head-to-head for the final time in the 1,500-meter run. EMU's Grant Amoateng rounds out the field after featuring in the triple jump competition.
RELATED: Final Results | Championship Meet Information
EMU's Faint shined in the 400-meter hurdle spotlight. He finished sixth in the prelims with a time of 52.89 seconds, a full second off his seed time. Turns out that seed time wouldn't matter as he smoked that personal-best mark with a 51.35 showing in the finals to finish third behind Peter Girardi (50.50) from St. John Fisher College and Anthony Salemo (51.06) from Rowan University. Faint's time also snapped the 19-year old conference record of 51.72 set by former Lynchburg standout Safwan Williams.
RC's Harlan didn't set a record with her national third place showing in the 100-meter dash, but she left many with pens in their hands with thoughts of possible future record-book entries. The indoor 60-meter dash national runner-up placed third in the prelims with a time of 12.38 into a negative wind. The wind was again in her face in the finals, but she bettered her prelim time to 12.05. Tyra Abraham (11.87) from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps won the event, while Dani Bland (11.97) from Emory University finished second.
Briggs missed out on All-American honors in the indoor high jump, but she made sure to pick up high honors this time around. She set a new school-record in eclipsing 1.71 meters (5-7.25), tying with three other competitors at that height. Briggs and Lauren Wilson from Pacific Lutheran University tied for fourth based on attempts. Cirrus Robinson (1.74m; 5-8.50) from Ohio Wesleyan University won the event.
Womack's situation from the indoor 60-meter dash competition left a sour taste in the Eagles' sprinter's mouth as a photo finish with two other runners left him out of the finals heat. He left no doubt this time around as he tied for second in the 100-meter dash prelims with three other runners at 10.83 seconds against a negative wind. The elements didn't change for the finals as he chimed in sixth with a time of 10.898, just 0.007 off the fifth-place time of Luke Bohlinger from the University of Redlands. Parker Witt (10.74) from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater claimed the gold medal.
RELATED: ODAC Men's Record Book | ODAC Women's Record Book
Celen ran in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes in Wisconsin. The 11-time All-American and ODAC record holder in both events finished 18th in the 100-dash with a time of 12.68. She duplicated that placing in the 200-dash at 25.70. Wadeline Jonathas (23.90) from the University of Massachusetts-Boston won the 200-meter event.
Deacon and Coombs, both former soccer players at their respective schools, finished within one place of each other in the 1,500-meter run. Deacon, who won a national championship in 2014 as a member of LC's soccer team, finished 18th in the prelims at 4:44.42. Coombs, the ODAC record holder in the event, stopped the watches 19th in 4:48.43. Emily Richards (4:25.08) from Ohio Northern University won the race.
Amoateng improved in each of his three attempts at the triple jump, but came up short of qualifying for the finals. He reached 14.20 meters and 14.39 meters in his first two tries. He posted a mark of 14.47 meters (47-5.75) on his third jump to place 13th. The top-nine advanced to the finals. Luther Newburn (15.89m; 52-1.75) from Benedictine University (Ill.) won the event.