Men's Track Competes At Cedarville Invitational

CEDARVILLE, OHIO -- The Defiance College men's track and field team traveled to Cedarville, Ohio to compete in the Cedarville University Yellow Jacket Collegiate Open. 

The Yellow Jackets finished the meet with two team points to place 17th of 17 teams.  Host school Cedarville won the overall event with 166 points and was followed by Mount Union University in second place with 155 points.  Otterbein University rounded out the top-three with 86 points.

The top overall finish in the running events was turned in by sophomore Brandon Zartman (Paulding) in the 400-meter dash.  He completed the event in a time of 57.29 seconds and placed 29th overall.

The field events saw a top finish by sophomore Javier Castillo (Nogales, Ariz./Nogales) of seventh place in the discus with a throw of 133' 2.00".  

Other top finishes for the Jackets included a 10th-place finish by junior Joshua Petro (Ocala, Fla./The Villages) in the hammer throw with a best mark of 147' 5.00".  Sophomore Andrew Fahler (Wellington) also competed in the event and posted a top-20 mark following a toss of 133' 2.00" which was good enough for 19th place.

In the javelin throw, senior Nick Rath (Defiance) was the top placer for DC, claiming 12th place with a throw of 132' 8.00".  

"We had 19 personal bests today in some heavy winds," said Head Coach Ken Ciolek.  "We're starting to get some key pieces healthy which will be exciting as we'll see some big times and marks coming down the road."

The Jackets will return to action next Saturday, Apr. 1, when they travel to Hanover, Ind. for the Hanover (Ind.) College Invitational.  The first event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.