Cedarville struggles day one at Ashland

By Matt Schaeckenbach

“It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop.” -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Uchtdorf’s words became a reality for Cedarville’s Track and Field program after a difficult opening day at the Jud Logan Light Giver Invitational at the University of Ashland. The Yellow Jackets faced off in an early preview of the GMAC championships later this February, competing against conference rivals such as Ashland, Findlay and Tiffin. 

Alongside these GMAC powerhouses, several high-caliber athletes compete at the Ashland Invitational, including Trevor Bassitt, Rachel Richeson and Joshua Page. 

All these athletes have won multiple Division II national titles, and even a USA national title for Richeson. 

With deep fields in every event, the Yellow Jackets faced an uphill battle all day, failing to secure a single victory during this first day of competition. 

Sophomore Andrew Suter went into the lion’s den in the pole vault competition, with three vaulters coming in with marks over 16 feet–including Ashland’s Garrett Baker, who placed 3rd at the outdoor national meet last May with a vault of 17 ‘9.25″. 

During the competition, Suter struggled to find his rhythm. He easily cleared his opening bar at 14’9” but missed all three attempts at 15’3”, making an earlier exit than usual. 

His effort tied for 7th place along with Ashland’s Hunter Long. 

Triple jump specialists Josh Paul and Dan Butterbaugh also struggled to shine against the stiff competition. Paul leaped his way to a distance of 46’8.25” to secure fourth for Cedarville. Butterbaugh fell just short of scoring for the Yellow Jackets, coming in 9th and posting a mark of 41 ‘7.75″.

The Lady Jackets, however, had a slightly stronger showing than the men on day one. 

Senior Sophia Schneider placed second in the pole vault with a jump of 11’7.75”, losing on a tie break to Ohio Dominican’s Peyton Proffitt. Schneider once again demonstrated her confidence in this competition, passing the bar at 12’1.5” and going straight up to 12’5.5” in an attempt to take the crown from Proffitt. 

However, the gamble didn’t play out as Schneider fell just short of the bar on all three of her attempts. 

Sophomore jumper Angela Williams also had a strong day, placing third in the women’s elite long jump section. The competition featured the nine best jumpers at the meet, and Williams came in as the fourth seed. She struggled early on to find her mark, only jumping 15’11” in her first attempt. 

However, Williams built up speed and confidence, adding almost a foot to each of her next jumps as she leapt to distances of 16’10” and 17′ 9″. She came just short of eclipsing second-place jumper Sierra Lanham from West Liberty, falling just over an inch behind her. 

Freshman sprinter Heidi Nielsen also had a strong performance for the Yellow Jackets, running her way to a fourth-place finish in the women’s 200-meter dash with a time of 25.01. 

While she dominantly won her heat–coming in first by almost half a second–Nielsen didn’t have the competition to chase down, but there’s still a lot to expect from this athlete as Cedarville track and field gets closer to the conference meet. 

Running events for day 2 begin at 9:20, with the field events kicking off forty minutes later at 10:00. With multiple rounds still in the cylinder–with superstars Brandon Rogers and Caleb Sultan leading the way–Cedarville track and field will look to bounce back on day two of the competition. 

Matt Schaeckenbach is a Junior Liberal Arts major from Iowa City, Iowa. He loves spending time with friends, playing board games, and encouraging others in Christ.