BEREA, OHIO--Senior Jessica Textoris (Akron/Medina Highland) represented Baldwin-Wallace College today, May 24, at the 2003 Division III National Outdoor Track and Field Meet at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. Textoris competed in the 5000 meter run and finished in 16th place with a time of 17:34.41.
Yesterday, Textoris finished in second place in the 3000 meter steeplechase with a time of 10:38.47. A year ago, Textoris finished 10th in the steeplechase at the national meet at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. The two-time Ohio Athletic Conference champion in the steeple and 2003 OAC Champ in the 5000 meters is currently ranked second in Division III with a qualifying time of 10:40.89. Textoris is also ranked 20th in the 5000 meters with a time of 17:18.82.
Senior Tim Budic (Eastlake North) finished in second place in the steeplechase yesterday with a time of 8:54.83, just being edged out at the finish line by Justin Easter (Bates College) who finished .56 seconds ahead of Budic in 8:54.27. He also beat his old career-best time of 9:00.63 which he set at the 2003 Ohio Athletic Conference Championship Meet in Berea two weeks ago.
Junior Jen Southall (Willoughby South) also competed in the steeplechase yesterday and finished in sixth place with a time of 10:53.24 and is currently ranked fourth in Div. III in the steeplechase. She ran the best race of her career last Friday at the annual B-W Twilight Invitational Meet at Finnie Stadium when she was timed in 10:49.76. Southall also competed in the 800 meter run this spring with a personal season-best time of 2:22.20.
Senior Tara Gruskiewicz (Williamsfield/Pymatuning Valley) finished in third place in her heat of the 800 meter run trials with a time of 2:13.56 yesterday. Gruskiewicz just missed advancing to the finals held today and is currently ranked seventh in Division III in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:12.82. That time broke both the Baldwin-Wallace College and Ohio Athletic Conference record in that event.
Overall, B-W had 10 competitors qualified for the national meet. In addition to Textoris, Gruskiewicz, Southall and Budic, senior Sarah Guba (Berea) qualified in the javelin (126'4.5"), junior Nikki Bell(McDonald) in the 400 meter dash (57.03), senior Lynn Katanik (Parma Padua) in the 5000 meters, senior Nicole Drouhard (Canfield/Austintown Fitch) in the 10,000 meter run, senior Dash McNeal (Crooksville) in the highjump (6'8.25") and junior Alex Johnson (Olmsted Falls), who competed in the discus on day one of the National Meet.
FOR MORE INFORMATION on B-W athletics, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by phone at (440) 826-2327, by FAX at (440) 826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. You can also access all the latest Yellow Jacket track information ny logging onto the College Internet Web Site at www.bw.edu/athletics.
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