Marietta track & field to open indoor season Saturday
Dyson-Baudo Recreation Center to host Early-Bird Meet at 12 p.m.

Dec. 8, 2005
MARETTA, Ohio – On Saturday (Dec. 10), the Marietta College track & field team celebrates the end of Finals Week by hosting its 2005 Early-Bird Meet in the Dyson-Baudo Recreation Center.

The meet is designed to give the Pioneers and the six other schools joining them an opportunity for their veterans to gauge the success of their off-season workouts and for their newcomers to get their feet wet before the season jumps into full swing after Christmas Break.

Action kicks off at 12 p.m. with the field events, while the races are slated to begin at 1 p.m.

Head track & field coach Derek Stanley is very excited to get the season underway.

"Everyone has been working extremely hard over the past few months, under the guidance of assistant coach Chris Basich, while I have mainly been with cross country," said Stanley. "We are anxious to see what we have to work with this winter, although many of our athletes will not be competing until January, as they transition from a fall sport to track."

Representatives from Alderson-Broaddus (W. Va.), Capital, Charleston (W. Va.), Ohio Wesleyan, Thiel (Pa.) and Wright State will be in Marietta for the non team-scored competition.

Stanley returns of a host of letterwinners back to this year's squad and some talented newcomers. Sophomore high jumper Breanne Kosar (Wheeling, W. Va.) is the only returning All-OAC performer. Kosar finished second at last season's OAC Championships, which were held at the Dyson-Baudo Recreation Center.

Senior Clark Spears (Brunswick), coming off a solid cross country season, will lead a deep group of distance runners. Spears took home a fifth-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase at last year's OAC Outdoor Championships.

Sophomore thrower Dan DeZordo (Louisville) will also look to carry over his success last spring into the winter competitions. DeZordo finished sixth in the shot put and fourth in the discus at the 2005 Outdoor Championships. DeZordo will be accompanied by a group of talent throwers, which is expected to be one of the team's strongest assets this season.

Also returning and looking to make a huge impacts this season are senior Chad Showen (Parkersburg, W. Va.) and junior Elizabeth "Fizzy" Ramsey (Danville, Ky.). Both pole vaulters are the indoor school-record holders for their respective genders.

Following Saturday's competition, Marietta will return to action January 21 for the Marietta Open #1 — its second of five home meets this season.

Sophomore Breanne Kosar finished second in the indoor high jump last year

Schedule of Events (.pdf)