On Saturday, Feb. 22, The Steemer Showcase welcomed Division I, II and III athletes to Wittenberg’s new indoor track for the first time in history. The Tigers also said goodbye to 11 seniors as they head into their final NCAC indoor championships. The honored seniors, consisting of Hannah Eley, Alexis Gray, Ashley Highfield, Katie Hodson, Madison Nadler, Garrin Bachinski, Tyler Branton, Brandon Johnson, Jaycee Perry, Aaron Rutherford and Jonathan Seay were honored at the finish line for their hard work and contributions to the team.
With tough competition trailing not too far behind, the Tigers kicked it into high gear for their final indoor home meet in 2020.
“There’s definitely some great athletes here,” Ryan Zimmerman (’22) said. “We have teammates on every stretch of the track to support each other.”
For the women, Eley threw 14.29-meters in the weight throw to secure ninth place. Gray, outside of her usual 800-meters race, placed first in the 1,000-meters with a time of 2:53.11. Johnson placed seventh in the 60-meters dash in the finals with a time of 8.13.
“I’ve never run before. Jumping is more my thing.” Johnson said laughing.
Ryelee Clary soared to fourth place in the 60-meters hurdles with a time of 9.08 seconds. Tiffany Moss, trailing closely behind, finished seventh with a time of 9.77 seconds.
For the men, Deven Ramsey (’21) ran a 1:06.03 time in the 500-meters for a third place finish. Gene Nobles (’22) and Paul Varnadoe (’22) both flew over the high jump at 1.78-meters to tie for fourth place. On the opposite side of the Steemer, Varnadoe placed seventh in the long jump with a distance of 6.35-meters.
The next big trip for the Tigers is the NCAC indoor championships in Granville, Ohio on Saturday, Feb. 29. The indoor championships are already looking bright for our athletes. For the women, although Alexis Walker (’22) didn’t compete in the Steemer Showcase, she dominates the NCAC in the 60-meters and 200-meters. Stevie Plikerd (’22) ranking high in a multitude of events, including the 60-meters, long jump, triple jump, shot put and pentathlon. Alexis Johnson (’21) soars to the top in the 60-meters, long jump, triple jump and high jump. Gray ranks first in both the 400-meters and 800-meters. For the men, Zachary Guyer (’21) ranks second in the NCAC in the heptathlon. He also is in the top running for high jump and 60-meters hurdles. Seay soaring in the shot put and weight throw. Many more Tigers are on the top list for NCAC indoor championships, but you’ll have to see for yourself who comes out on top.
