Marion, IN — As sadness surrounded the very site of the 2006 Mid-Central Conference Track & Field Championships, the Goshen College men’s team turned to its models of consistency.

In the end, the Leafs’ positive vibes won out.

After a tragic automobile accident involving Taylor University students and faculty (click here for details) prompted a venue change for the MCC Championships from Taylor to nearby Indiana Wesleyan University, a palpable sense of sorrow surrounded the weekend event. Senior Don Williams and junior Jason Young made the most of a dignified focus, however, capturing their third and second consecutive All-MCC honors, respectively.

“Just competing at Indiana Wesleyan (instead of at Taylor) was a constant reminder of how tragic last week’s accident was for everyone associated with Taylor and the conference,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “I thought all of the athletes competed with an attitude dignity out of respect for the recent events.”

Williams and Young both fit that description, each garnering all-conference accolades thanks to enough points from various events for “at-large” selections to the team. Combined with a fellow, fourth-place finish from the Leafs’ women’s team (click here for article), Goshen posted the best combined finish since the MCC expanded to eight or more schools in the early 1990s.

“We had a very successful two days of competition at the MCC Championships,” Clark said. “Our goal had been to be in the top half of the conference since the beginning of conditioning this year, and both teams were able to accomplish this. We’re proud of how we competed.”

Williams, who won the high jump event last year en route to All-MCC status, went back to his at-large selection roots, the manner in which he was named All-MCC in 2004. This weekend, Williams finished second in the high hurdles (:15.57), fourth in the 400-meter hurdles (1:00.96) and fourth in the high jump (6 feet, 1 and 1 quarter inch) for his third straight all-conference award. Williams was also part of the 4 X 100 relay team which finished third in a time of :43.62, joining Young, senior Daniel Constantine and freshman Nelson Kling.

“Don Williams has been a tremendous performer for us during his career here, and Friday and Saturday were no different this weekend,” Clark said. “He had a great effort in all of his events, and is very deserving of his third consecutive All-MCC award.”

Young, meanwhile, took home second in the 400-meter run, qualifying for NAIA national competition in a time of :48.61. His third-place clip of :21.96 in the 200-meter dash added to his leg in the 4 X 100 relay en route to his second straight all-league selection.

“Jason is another athlete like Don in how versatile his is for us,” Clark said. “He has trained very hard to get where he is now.”

In addition to Williams’ and Young’s leadership, Goshen proved solid depth with eight other top-five finishes, including a school-record breaking, fifth-place effort in the discus from senior Matt Hochstetler. Hochstetler’s toss of 146 feet, 2 inches broke his former program mark of 139 feet, 8 inches, set earlier this season. That toss added to another fifth-place result, as Hochstetler rounded off the top five in the hammer throw with a heave of 142 feet, 1 inch.

Other top five results came from senior Tolu Kayode in the hammer throw (153 feet, 7 inches; second place), sophomore Jeff Hochstetler in the hammer throw (143 feet, 11 inches; fourth place), freshman Brent Handfield in the triple jump (42 feet, 3 and a half inches; fourth place), senior Dan Adcock in the triple jump (41 feet, 4 and one third inches; fifth place) and freshman Jon Casselberry-Scott in the pole vault (9 feet and a quarter of an inch; fifth place). Goshen’s 4 X 400 relay team of Adcock, Constantine, Young and freshman Andrew Murto finished fourth in a time of 3:27.07.

Bethel College won the overall team scoring, garnering 175.5 team points. Indiana Wesleyan University was second with 171 points, followed by Taylor (160.5), Goshen (91.5), Huntington University (69), Marian College (55), the University of St. Francis (41), Spring Arbor University (28.5) and Grace College (14). For a complete list of individual and team results for the MCC Championships, click here.

Goshen will next compete at NCAA Division I University of Toledo’s Toledo Rocket Open on Friday. The meet will is slated to begin at 10 a.m.