With finals quickly approaching, a small contingent of the Case Western Reserve University men's and women's track and field teams competed at the Tiffin Open in Tiffin, Ohio on Friday night.
The Spartans were led by first place finishes from senior runner Will Dehmler and junior hurdler/jumper Emily Hopkins. Dehmler won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:00.11, and Hopkins recorded the best mark in the triple jump, leaping 10.83 meters.
Junior thrower Adrienne Wachtman also earned a podium finish at the meet, placing second in the shot put with a throw of 12.15 meters.
Four CWRU student-athletes placed fourth in their events. Senior hurdler Peculiar Nzegbuna and first-year hurdler/jumper Grace Misiunas each crossed the finish line fourth in the 60-meter hurdles, with Nzegbuna recording a time of 8.67 seconds, the fourth fastest in program history, and Misiunas finishing in 9.51 seconds. Misiunas added an 11th place finish in the 200-meter dash in 27.74 seconds. In the high jump, junior sprinter/jumper Yusuf Shaaban placed fourth by clearing 1.88 meters, and in the triple jump, sophomore hurdler/jumper Sarah Ozeki finished fourth with a mark of 10.20 meters.
Adding top eight finishes for Case Western Reserve at the meet were senior vaulter Victoria Zhao, placing fifth in the pole vault by clearing 3.23 meters, and graduate student sprinter Juan Perez, placing seventh in the 200-meter dash in 23.32 seconds. Shaaban added a 19th-place finish in the 200-meter dash, and Nzegbuna placed 30th in the event. In the long jump, first-year sprinter Troy Olson placed ninth with a mark of 6.24 meters.
Junior thrower Ailean Duffie and senior thrower Tori Cohen placed 14th and 16th, respectively, in the weight throw with marks of 12.70 meters and 12.62 meters.
After taking a break for the holidays, the Spartans will return to competition in 2023, starting with the Otterbein Invite on January 21.