Men picked fifth, women ninth in HCAC outdoor track poll

CARMEL, Ind. - The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference announced the results of its preseason coaches poll for the 2021 outdoor track and field season on Wednesday morning. The Defiance College men's team was chosen to finished fifth in the conference while the women were picked to finish ninth.

The top four teams in each poll were identical with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology placing first followed by Manchester University, Hanover College, and Bluffton University. In the men's poll, the Yellow Jackets finished just a point behind rival Bluffton.

Six members of the men's squad were named Athletes to Watch. Among these athletes is a trio of throwers in Tyrel Goings (Paulding, Ohio/Defiance), Ron Scott (St. Petersburg, Fla./Boca Ciega), and Kaleb Tyree (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian). Tawon Cannon (Columbus, Ohio/Mifflin) and John Reese (Morton, Texas/Morton) who both compete in track and field events were named Athletes to Watch along with sprinter Robert Marshall (Tampa, Fla./Middleton), who placed second in the 200-meters at the HCAC Indoor Championship.

The women's had five members on the HCAC watchlist including Shi'Nique Lawrence (Toledo, Ohio/Bowsher), Lisa Markau (Cape Coral, Fla./Cape Coral), Destiny Oshodin (Toledo, Ohio/Jesup W. Scott), Deleita Powell (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw), and Katelyn Smith (Edgerton, Ohio/Fairview).

Markau, Oshodin, and Powell compete as sprinters. Lawrence is also a sprinter but also competes in the hurdles and high jump. Smith is a middle-distance runner who will compete in the high jump as well.

Both teams competed in their first outdoor meet since 2019 last Saturday at the Cedarville Yellow Jacket Open. The men's team tied for 18th place thanks to four points from a fifth-place in the 400-meter hurdles from Cannon.

Both Yellow Jacket squads will be travel to Owensboro, Ky. on Friday to compete in the Kentucky Wesleyan Twilight Invitational.