Cedarville Magazine, Summer 2017

T hey’ve come from 32nd in their region to one of the top programs in the nation. It’s been a journey through injuries and frustration. But this spring, the Yellow Jackets track & field team broke the finish line tape. Olivia Esbenshade ’17, Carsyn Koch ’18, Lyndsey Smith ’19, and Olivia Kundo ’20 finished third in the distance medley relay (DMR) to earn All- America honors at this year’s NCAA Division II Track & Field Indoor Championships. Their time of 11:19.55 wiped out their own school record by more than 10 seconds, and they registered the third-fastest performance in NCAA Division II indoor history. Daniel Michalski ’18, Josiah Bernard ’18, Ethan Gatchell ’19, and Wyatt Hartman ’17 ran 9:53.72 in the men’s DMR, second-fastest time in Cedarville’s history, and earned All-America honors for their eighth- place finish. In addition to the DMR, Koch competed in the 800-meter; Esbenshade and Michalski ran the mile. Koch, who ran the 800 at the Olympic Trials last year, repeated as NCAA champion, crossing in 2:05.65. Michalski earned his second All-America honor, finishing seventh in the nation at 4:09.45. Esbenshade ran 4:52.47, one of the top five-mile times in Cedarville women’s indoor track history. LONG ROAD The program’s turnaround is especially sweet for seniors like Esbenshade. “I’ve struggled with a lot of injuries and missed going to nationals by one place two years ago,” she related. “None of the girls my freshman year had even broken 19 minutes in a 5K race, and now the whole varsity is running 17s.” “I never thought about making nationals as a freshman,” Koch shared. “It wasn’t in the realm of possibility. We’ve realized you don’t have to be superhuman, but it does take hard work.” And the right atmosphere. “Coach Bo [Jeff Bolender ’91] would never toot his own horn,” she offered. “He’s taken this team from where we were freshman year to now. This program is phenomenal.” Cedarville Magazine | 7