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Rebholz leads Scots
to victory at Titan Open
Release Date: February 5, 2007
MONMOUTH, Ill. — The
best throws by an Illinois athlete this weekend certainly didn’t
come from the Chicago Bears’ Rex Grossman. Rather, they came the day
before the Super Bowl courtesy of Monmouth College’s Jeff Rebholz,
who led the Fighting Scots to a victory at the Titan Open at
Illinois Wesleyan University with a pair of sensational efforts.
Rebholz moved up to No. 3 in the nation in both the shot put and the
weight throw as he claimed first place in both events in a very
competitive field. His winning shot put was a personal-best
54'6-3/4, and he shattered the school record by winning the weight
throw with a heave of 58'5-1/4.
“I was pleased with the quality of both of his performances in
relation to the solid field,” said Monmouth coach Roger Haynes.
“There was a thrower there from Whitewater who was ranked higher
nationally than Jeff, and he beat him by nearly two feet. I didn’t
think Jeff had his best stuff technically, but his body’s pretty
fit.”
Rebholz’s 20 points, plus 12 from teammate Zach Wilson in the same
two events, helped the Scots score 101 points and top the other 15
schools in attendance. UW-Whitewater was second with 68 points and
Ohio Northern scored 64.
Wilson was second in the weight throw (56'7-1/2) and fourth in the
shot put (47'3-1/2).
“I looked at what Zach did at this meet a year ago, and his weight
throw was 49-something,” said Haynes. “He went on to finish the
indoor season strong and qualify for nationals. This year, he’s way
ahead of that pace.”
Of course, the Scots also have a solid 1-2 punch in the pole vault,
and the duo of Jonny Henkins and Peter Sprecher placed second and
third, respectively, with Henkins clearing 16'4 and Sprecher going
15'10. Both vaulters are still ranked first in the nation with their
top height of 16'6.
Monmouth also received points from multiple competitors in the mile,
as Kel Bond was second in 4:19.21 and Aaron Etienne took fourth in
4:23.47. Both times were PRs, and Bond moved within three seconds of
the provisional-qualifying time in the mile.
Besides Rebholz, triple jumper Alex Stuart also posted a victory,
soaring 45'4-1/4. Bond added a third-place finish in the 800-meter
(1:56.56), and sprinter Dante Daniels scored in two events, placing
second in the 200-meter dash (22.43) and third in the 400-meter dash
(50.90).
Tim Frank added a runner-up finish in the high jump (6'4-3/4), and
Haynes said the senior had some good attempts at 6'7.
Also scoring points for the Scots were Brandon Hurckes, who placed
fourth in the 60-meter hurdles (8.82), and Clay Staley, who was
sixth in the 5000-meter run (15:28.63).
Shannon Turczyn led the women’s team to a fifth-place finish out of
13 teams by winning the 60-meter hurdles in 9.30. The women’s
distance medley team of Katie Staab, Kila Cox, Amy Aghababian and
Sara Ingersoll also scored 10 points by winning their race in
13:15.41.
Jessica White (11'8) and Megan McKenna (11'2-1/4) placed second and
fifth in the pole vault, and McKenna added a third-place finish in
the long jump (16'8). Also scoring for the Scots were Jenny Babos,
in the weight throw (fourth-place, a personal-best 48'4), Ashley
Widdop in the 60-meter hurdles (fifth place, 9.66) and Andrea Emery
in the high jump (sixth place, 4'11). Babos was eighth in the shot
put (39'0-1/4), beating the defending Midwest Conference champion by
a foot in the process.
Haynes was also impressed by pole vaulter Erin Degelman, who cleared
a collegiate-best 10'8, and sprinter Ryan Hardman, who ran a solid
50.9 leg on the 4x400 relay. The women’s 4x400 squad of Cox,
Turczyn, Ingersoll and Katey Vaccarello didn’t score, but their time
of 4:12.84 is the fastest in the MWC so far this year.
“Overall, it was a pretty solid day for everyone involved,” said
Haynes. “It’s a tough day for our kids, and we’d been pretty bad
down there in the past. But I was pleased with how they handled the
day. It’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
The Scots’ next step is this Saturday at the DePauw Invitational in
Greencastle, Ind.
Men's Indoor Track
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