Posted November 9 2000, 12:26 am
Posted by: Sarah Weide
Runners look for Personal Bests at Regional Meet
MEN'S and WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
The Wittenberg University Men's and Women's Cross Country teams travel to Hanover University in Hanover, Ind. this weekend to compete in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Cross Country Meet. The Great Lakes Region is comprised of the NCAA Division III schools in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.
The Tigers head into the NCAA Regional meet on a high note. At the North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet on October 28 the majority of the Tigers crossed the finish line in a seasonal best times. This weekend, they will be looking for even greater improvement as they compete with the best Division III runners in the area.
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On the men's side, Nick DeWald (Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Senior) and Dave Hyde(Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) have been the top runners for Wittenberg.
Both have run strong all season and are coming into this meet with a head of steam, having recorded personal best times of 26:24.30 and 27:20 respectively at the NCAC meet. Both runners have a chance to finish in the top 35, which would qualify them for selection to the All-Region team.
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On the women's side, Abi Gerstle (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont), who is coming into the regional meet off a third-place finish at the conference meet, and Sarah Weide (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead), who earned All-Regional honors last season, are the top runners for the Tigers. Both Gerstle and Weide will be running toward a top finish for a chance to qualify for the national meet in Spokane, Washington. The first five individuals, as well as the top two teams, will qualify for the Nov. 18 race. Melanie Ziarko (Hiram, Ohio/Crestwood) has been closing the gap all season and also has a chance to break into the top pack.