Young stars shine at the Otterbein Twilight Classic

By Matt Schaeckenbach

The Otterbein Twilight meet is a unique addition to the Cedarville track and field schedule. While most collegiate track and field meets are run on weekends in the morning or afternoon, this twilight-style meet brings athletes back to a Friday-night, high-school-type competition. 

The Yellow Jackets buckled in for a full day of competition, as athletes showcased their talents from dusk till dawn in a competition that stretched over 15 hours. 

The first Yellow Jacket to leave his mark on Otterbein’s track was Freshman phenom, Nate Raab. Raab quickly made a name for himself among Cedarville’s stars in the indoor season, knocking on the door for the school record in the long jump and placing fourth at the conference meet. Following his success in the indoor campaign, Raab has had a slow start to the outdoor season, with a nagging hamstring injury restricting his performances.  

However, this meet proved to be a breakout for Raab, as he dropped two dominant performances in the long jump and 100 meter dash.

“The meet was hot, and I felt super nervous about my hamstring at first,” Raab said. 

Raab’s nerves manifested in his first event, the long jump. He got off to a slow start, with his first two jumps falling well below his usual distance. With only one jump left in the opening rounds, he needed something big to make it through to finals. 

Stepping onto the runway, Raab pushed out with his powerful strides, tearing down the track and hitting the board perfectly. Exploding off his plant leg, Raab soared through the air, extending at the last minute and spraying sand into the air as he landed.

The jump measured 7.09 meters–23-3.25 feet–ranking Raab No. 2 all-time in the event outdoors for Cedarville. 

However, Raab’s star-studded day wasn’t over yet. A short time later, he took the track for the 100 meter dash–an event he hasn’t competed in as a Yellow Jacket. 

“After jumping 7.09 on my last attempt, I was a bit energetic and ready to go for the 100m,” Raab said.

In the finals, Raab lined up against two of his teammates, fellow freshmen Kervens Lennon and Kristian Satterfield. Lennon and Satterfield both had stellar performances in the preliminary rounds of the 100, breaking the previous school record of 10.62. Lennon ran 10.60, and Satterfield clocked 10.61. 

“Taking it to the finals, I just wanted to have fun,” Raab said. “I truly gave the entire meet to the Lord, and he provided big time.”

Raab stormed out of the blocks in the final, racing down the track and showcasing impressive top-end speed as he pulled away from the field with Bethany’s Jamari Curlett. 

Crossing the finish line just behind Curlett in second place, the time flashed on the screen: 10.60. Together with Lennon, Raab and his freshman teammate broke their first school record. However, it’s anyone’s guess what these two will do coming into the postseason, and with conference around the corner and both athletes racing at peak condition, it’s looking like the school record could fall again in the coming weeks. 

Following Raab’s strong performance, another up-and-coming freshman star stepped up for the Yellow Jackets. Hurdle specialist Rebekah Brinser has already been making a name for herself this season in the 400 meter hurdles—widely considered the most grueling event in track and field. However, Brinser has made quick work of the event in her first few outings, knocking a second off her time in each of her races this season. 

But once you reach a certain level, every second becomes a struggle, and coming off a blazing performance at the University of Tennessee, Brinser needed a knockout performance to maintain her progression this season.

She came in top ranked, but had a strong competitor in Capital’s Maria Da Cunha to her outside in lane five, just a few tenths slower than her. 

“My first thought going into it was I knew I wanted to beat the girl in five to the first hurdle,” Brinser said. 

When the gun went off, Brinser came out of the blocks strong. Pushing to the first hurdle, she cleared it before Da Cunha and took an early lead on the field. 

“I made a lot of preparation beforehand, thinking about my trail leg and attacking the hurdle,” Brinser said. “I thought about all those things and was able to perform them for a good overall race.”

Storming over the hurdles, Brinser quickly put a gap between herself and the rest of the field. Cruising over the ten barriers, she raced to the finish line unchallenged, crossing in a stunning time of 1:02.09—nearly three seconds faster than the runner-up in the event.

Brinser’s time currently ranks her No. 2 overall in the GMAC conference this year, but the freshman reflected on her expectations coming into this season.

“I didn’t have very high expectations, not gonna lie,” Brinser said. “I thought I would be okay, but I also thought that this is a DII college, and I don’t think I’ll be able to compete with all these people.” 

“Every race, I’ve been figuring out more and more things that I can work on to improve,” Brinser said. 

So far, she has thoroughly proven her expectations wrong this season, and with her current progress, there looks to be no stopping her as she gears up for the conference meet at the end of this month.

Following Brinser’s showing in the 400 hurdles, the dynamic sister duo of Audrianna and Alyson Enns showed out for the Yellow Jackets in the women’s mile. These siblings have been bright spots in Cedarville athletics, shining together on the university’s track and field and cross country teams over the last few years. 

From the gun, the two sisters controlled the race, taking the lead and pushing each other. Coming into the final lap, however, Audrianna Enns pulled away from her sister. Racing down the homestretch, she crossed the finish line in first place in a time of 5:06.67. Her sister, Alyson, crossed the line in second place in 5:11.11. 

The sisters beat the next closest competitor by over 10 seconds. Additionally, both sisters ran under the previous school record time for the event. 

After the race, the sisters reflected on their performances and the opportunity to compete with one another for the same school. 

“My goal was to have fun with it,” Audrianna said. “It was really special to run with Alyson because we used to always race together in middle school, then high school, now in college. It was really fun running with just the two of us up front together.”

“We both got to run together and for the glory of the Lord,” Audrianna said. 

“We always make it fun when we race together,” Alyson said. “We push each other well.” 

Together, the Enns sisters will play a key role in the Yellow Jackets’ distance events in the coming weeks as they prepare for the Conference meet.

It was a strong showing for Cedarville, with several other event wins, personal bests and strong performances. The Yellow Jackets are at their best when it counts, and heading into the championship part of the season, it’s anyone’s guess what they will accomplish individually and as a team as the outdoor season comes to a close. 

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.