Lady Yellow Jackets capture HCAC Indoor Title

Anderson, Ind. – Capping off an exciting day for DC athletics, the women's track and field team has been crowned Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Champions.

The Lady Yellow Jackets finished in first place with 149 points.  The women had 16 different individuals bring in points in the meet.

Kali George (East Palestine, Ohio / East Palestine) had a big day for the Lady Yellow Jackets.  After five runner-ups last season at the HCAC Indoor Championships, she was able to pick up a couple wins this year.  In the 400-meter dash, she ran a season best 1:00.08 on the day to be crowned the champion.  In the 200-meter race, she finished in third with a time of 27.15.  George also teamed up with Bree Anderson (Huntertown, Ind. / Carroll), Waverly Weaks (Liberty Center, Ohio / Liberty Center), and Micah Wilson (Mims, Fla. / Astronaut) for another first place finished.  In the 4x200-meter relay, the quad squad once again beat their own school record and set a new HCAC record with a 1:47.50.  With the record time, they won the 4x200-meter relay race.  George again teamed up with Wilson, Margaret Sarfino (Dayton, Ohio / Kettering Fairmont), and Brooke Lime (Defiance, Ohio / Defiance) to break the conference and school records in the 4x400-meter relay.  The four sprinters crossed the line at 4:09.84, over three seconds ahead of the second place team.  George also had a strong showing in the field.  In the triple jump, George placed third with a distance of 9.84 meters.  She place second in the high jump with a height of 1.56 meters and fourth in the long jump with a distance of 4.82 meters.  George tallied 40 points in the HCAC Championships for the Lady Yellow Jackets.

Weaks also saw success in the triple jump.  She was able to nab seventh place in the triple jump with a distance of 9.64 meters.  Weaks had her most success in the field with her long jump.  She jumped her way into third with a distance of 4.88 meters.

Also seeing success in the triple jump was Sarfino.  The freshman finished HCAC Indoor runner-up with a distance of 10.44 meters.  Also in the field, Sarfino saw a seventh place finish in the long jump with a distance of 4.55 meters.  She wasn't done yet, she also finished in fourth place in the 60-meter hurdlers with a time of 9.97.

Lime joined Sarfino in a successful 60-meter hurdles showing.  Lime ran for a time of 9.57 which was good enough for a third place finish.

Freshman Wilson saw success in the 60-meter dash to go along with her 4x200-meter and 4x400-meter relay wins.  She shattered her own school record in the event with a 7.87 to easily run away with the HCAC Indoor Championship.  She also put up the 21st best time in Division III this season.

Distance runner Eme Miller (Portland, Ind. / Jay County) continued her success in the long races.  In the 5,000-meter race, Miller finished second with a school record time of 18:24.80.  She also took fourth in the 3,000-meter race with a time of 10:43.40.

Anderson saw some individual success as well.  She finished fifth in the 200-meter dash and sixth in the 60-meter dash.  In the 60-meter dash she finished with a time of 8.27 and a time of 27.38 in the 200-meter race.

In the throws, freshman Sam Cook (Raiford, Fla. / Bradford County) represented the Lady Yellow Jackets very well in her first HCAC Indoor Championships.  Cook now owns the school record and conference record in shot put with a toss of 12.39 meters.  The distance was also enough for her to pick up the win in the event.  She also salvaged two points in the weight throw with a seventh place finish.  Her throw sailed 12.41 meters.

Ellexsie Haughton (Ocala, Fla. / Forest) also scored in both the shot put and weight throw.  In the weight throw she finished third with a distance of 13.77 meters.  A distance of 11.57 meters in the shot put secured a fourth place finish for her.

Nikki Young (Van Wert, Ohio / Van Wert) and Alexis Walker (Fort Myers, Fla. / Fort Myers) finished the weight throw in sixth place and eighth place, respectively.  Young threw for a distance of 12.62 meters and Walker added a throw of 12.26 meters.

In the pole vault, Angelyn Kutchinski (Baldwin, Mich. / Mason County Central) and Kelsey Bowling (Sidney, Ohio / Houston) placed in seventh and eighth place, respectively.  They jumped for heights of 2.53 meters and 2.38 meters.

Bowling also teamed up with Brittney Holmes (Defiance, Ohio / Defiance), Jessie Bell (West Salem, Ohio / Northwestern), and Marissa Bussard (Canal Winchester, Ohio / Bloom-Carroll) in the Distance-Medley Relay.  They finished fourth with a time of 14:25.15.

The Lady Yellow Jackets were picked to finish third in the meet but proved to be the best and pick up the HCAC Indoor Championship.  DC will be back in action Saturday, March 1 for the Fred Wilt Invitational back in Anderson, Ind.