Cedarville starts strong at outdoor home opener

By Matt Schaeckenbach

The dual nature of the track and field season is one of the unique aspects of the sport compared to others. In basketball, you play inside year round; for soccer, it’s all outdoors. But for track, the sport completely flips halfway through. 

Athletes go from competing in climate-controlled weather in the indoor season to the brutal elements of an Ohio spring in the outdoor season, battling against a combination of heat, cold and wind at each outing. 

On top of the weather, the disciplines change in many cases, with events like the 60 hurdles becoming the 110 hurdles and the 60 meter dash becoming the 100 meter dash. Along with these changes, a host of new events are added, including the hammer throw, discus, 10,000 meter run and the steeple chase. 

With a wealth of new events and opportunities, Cedarville track and field got right back to work in their home opener this Saturday at the Yellow Jacket Track and Field Complex. There was no shortage of competition for the Yellow Jackets, as many conference rivals, such as Findlay, Ashland and Tiffin arrived at the track. 

With chilly temperatures forecasted, slower times were expected all around for the season opener. However, several Yellow Jackets bested the expectations, striking early and putting up some top marks in the conference.

The first athlete to do so was freshman long jumper Nate Raab, who’s already been making waves for the team in his first year. Coming off an impressive indoor campaign, which earned him fourth place at the conference meet, this jumper’s future looks bright. 

He opened the day for the Yellow Jackets in brutal conditions, with temperatures as low as 35 degrees during the long jump competition. However, Raab rose to the occasion, placing second in the event with a mark of 22’8.5” which currently ranks him No. 9 on the all-time list for Cedarville track and field. 

Moving to the track, Cedarville saw a dominant performance in the 400 meter hurdles from sophomore sensation Evan Meisberger.

Meisberger started things off from the first heat of the men’s race, lining up against a deep field, including Gabe Singh, a runner for the Philippines National Team. Along with Singh, Mesiberger faced off against conference rival Alex Eggleston from Ashland, an experienced runner who earned third place at last year’s conference meet. 

“Going into the meet, I was feeling very anxious with it being the first time I had run this event in almost a year,” Meisberger said.

Whatever nerves Meisberger had, he left them in the blocks. 

“Once the gun went off, all the nerves quickly left.” 

Charging towards the barriers with his long, loping stride, Meisberger held his own against the field, keeping Eggleston and Singh within striking distance as they tried to close the gap on his inside. However, every move they made, he answered.

Going into the final straightaway, Meisberger trailed slightly, but he never gave up. 

“I was in full attack mode and was hungry for a big PR or a win,” Meisberger said. 

Mustering a final kick together, Meisberger slowly closed the gap, pulling even with Eggleston over the final hurdle and leaving him in the dust in the final straight as he chased down Singh. Unfortunately, he ran out of room, as he crossed the finish line in second with a time of 53.22 seconds, slashing well over a second off his former personal record.

“I felt insanely relieved and thankful after my race,” Meisberger said. “During the warmups, I gave it all to God.”

Meisberger went on to quote a chapter he’d been reading from Habbakuk, commenting that no matter what the outcome was, he wanted to give glory to God during the race.

Meisberger’s time currently ranks him No. 2 in the GMAC this season, falling only behind Tiffin’s Jordan Cortner. 

Jumping back to the field, the Jackets unleashed one of their heavy-hitters, with school record holder Josh Paul lining up for the triple jump. However, the conditions were far from favorable for the event, with the colder temperatures and windy conditions making it unlikely for a big mark. 

“Going into it, I decided that this meet would be a time to implement some new queues and techniques,” Paul said. 

He focused on execution, doing all the little things right, even if he was sacrificing some distance for his jumps. However, with his speed and power, the marks were still impressive, as he clicked off four 14+ meter jumps during the competition–while his competition could only muster 13.71 as the second best mark on the day. 

Paul won the event by over two feet, showcasing his talent and versatility when facing adversity. 

“As far as season openers go, it was a good day, especially considering the adverse conditions,” Paul said. “I definitely learned and felt that I gave what I had that day.” 

Paul’s jump currently ranks him No. 1 in the GMAC conference, and he will look to reclaim the title this coming May at the Conference meet. 

Other standout performances on the day included Caroline Hamilton in the 5k, who won the event in a time of 17:22.84 over Rio Grande’s Amarissa Kerns. Rebekah Brinser added a silver for the Jackets in the 400 hurdles alongside Meisberger and Hannah Hartenberg led the Cedarville women in the 10k, placing second as three other Lady Jackets joined her in the top eight. 

Assistant Coach Max Kittle reflected on the meet after a 12-hour day coaching his athletes. 

“Our outdoor meet was an awesome experience with some decent weather,” Kittle said. “This was the largest track meet Cedarville has ever hosted, with 1381 athletes entered.”

The Jackets will be back on the track again next week at the Ohio Invitational in Athens, Ohio, on April 3, where their star-studded national cast–including Brandon Rogers, Caleb Sultan and Summer Swartwout–will look to make their return in their first outdoor meet of the year.

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