MAR. 24 — Goshen Opens Outdoor Season At Dick Small Invite

Slew of strong performances cues outdoor slate on eve of Goshen Invite

Defiance, OH — The Goshen College men’s track and field team opened the outdoor portion of its 2007 schedule Saturday, competing at the 15-team Dick Small Invitational at Defiance College.

Goshen finished 10th with 36 team points, a result of several top five finishes that had head coach Rick Clark optimistic about the immediate future of his squad.

“We certainly made the most of our first outdoor meet of the year,” Clark said. “We had a multitude of solid performances from varying athletes, and balance is always a positive.”

Nearly perfect weather conditions highlighted the afternoon, as sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70s gave a late-April feel to the event. Sophomores Sam Boldman and Brent Handfield provided the team’s highest finishes of the day, finishing third in the 110-meter hurdles and long jump, respectively.

Boldman’s clip of :17.22 was just off second place in the seven-man field, while Handfield was the third-best long jumper on the day — he cleared a distance of 19 feet, 8 and ½ inches — out of 20 participants.

Other top five finishes for Goshen came from sophomore Jon Casselberry-Scott in the pole vault (fourth, 13 feet, 11 and ¼ inches), junior Jake Gillette in the 10,000-meter run (fourth, 33:39.00) and freshman Nick Bouwman in the 5,000-meter run (fifth, 17:37.64). Handfield finished fifth in the triple jump as well, clearing a total distance of 38 feet, 8 and ½ inches.

“Casselberry-Scott just missed the school record in the pole vault by less than an inch,” Clark said. “Sam Boldman had a solid first hurdle race of the year, while Jake Gillette ran a good 10k race. Brent Handfield placed really well in his two jumping events.”

Mid-Central Conference rival Bethel College finished first in the team scoring, charting 142.5 points in leading the 15-team field. For a complete list of team and individual performances and results, click here.

Goshen will now finalize training for its lone home meet of the season — the Goshen College Invitational — which will take place on Saturday. Events are slated to begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. at the Eigsti Track & Field Complex.