NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP SITE MARIETTA, Ohio - Junior Jessica Starks led Capital to a memorable final day at the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships on Saturday at Marietta College. The women's 4x100 meter relay squad placed third while individually Starks was eighth in the 200 meter dash.
In the 4x100, Starks (Akron, Ohio/Akron East HS) and the squad which consisted of Brittany Carter (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South HS), freshman Kwesi Seabrook (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade Julienne HS), senior Lizzy Stanton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Withrow HS) broke their own Ohio Collegiate record with a time of 46.97.
Capital joined winner Wartburg College (46.21) and runner-up Emory University (46.91) as the only three teams to record a time under 47 seconds. CU also bested its performance from the 2008 NCAA Championship, where it ran a 47.62 en route to an eighth-place finish. The third place finish is the best ever for a Crusader relay squad at the NCAA Championship Meet.
"We all thought doing this well was possible. I thought we could break 47 (seconds) and be a top five team all season, and they made it happen," Capital Head Coach Fred Barends said. To be third in the nation, and knowing all the hard work that they have put in, to achieve this is really a blessing."
Starks then came back to run a 25.17 to place eighth in the 200 meter dash and earn another All-America honor although she was still reeling from the Crusaders' finish in the 4x100 relay.
"Coming in today we were nervous and praying to just get the baton around to break 47. To come out in third place being amazing," Starks said.
Carter added, "My teammates know I can be nervous before races, so they really did a great job of getting me calmed down and in the right mind set to compete. Once the gun went off, I got focused on what I had to do."
Fundamentals, a facet of the relay that Capital has been working through all season, came to fruition on Saturday.
"We had two or three of the smoothest hand-offs we've had all year," Barends said. "For that to happen in the biggest meet of the year is unbelievable."
The whole field was in a tight pack when Starks, the anchor leg, received the baton and sprinted toward the finish.
Starks is now a five-time All-American and the sixth Crusader woman to achieve that mark in the program's seven-year history. She individually competed in the 100 and 200 Dash in 2008, where she finished seventh and fifth, respectively.
"Jessica does what she does. She just runs down people and does a fantastic job. She thrives on performing in big moments like this," Barends said. "I had a bad angle of the finish line and thought to myself, ‘Hey they're fourth or fifth that's fantastic.' Then I saw the scoreboard and saw that we were third and that we had broke 47. It's great."
The girls also took advantage of the hot, balmy weather that descended over Don Drumm Stadium.
"We did well because of the hot weather. We love running with this heat," said Seabrook, the school-record holder in the indoor and outdoor 400 meter dash.
The team immediately expressed their euphoria after realizing that they had accomplished their year-long goals.
"It's just been a really cool experience, just competing and being here with my teammates. I want to come back every year," Seabrook said.
Starks added, "We haven't worried about anything this entire time, and when we went out there and did what we wanted to, the fun continued."
Another key component to the success of the race was the dependability of the unit's lone senior.
"Lizzy was finally healthy now, and had us in second when she passed the baton off," Barends said. "She was back to the same All-American form that she's enjoyed throughout her career."
"She's been the mother hen of the team. She's been a leader from day one and has really overcome a lot to become the strong young lady that she is. Lizzy has also been a great overall person. She does things on campus and has performed academically. She perfectly displays what a Division III athlete should be."
The weekend capped off a memorable career for Stanton, who finished her career as one of the most accomplished runners in school history. The three-time All-American is the school-record holder in the long jump (18-09.25') and the triple jump indoors (37-01.00). Stanton has also been apart of the school's best units in the indoor 4x200 (1:43.88) and 4x400 relay teams (4:05.76). She is three-time All-American (she finished seventh in the Long Jump in 2008).
"Lizzy is just a good all-around good person. The biggest thing I've learned from her is just to keep pushing forward, no matter what's in front of you," Carter said.
Stanton now is planning on obtaining her Masters Degree in Health Education from the University of Cincinnati.
"I'm happy that there's some talent that will be around for a while," Stanton said, "I have a lot of confidence in them. I'm so happy to know that things will continue to go well after I'm gone."
Carter will be joined alongside Starks as the senior leaders for next year's team.
Carter is now a two-time All-American, as well as being a member of the school's-best indoor 4x100, 4x400 and 1600 Sprint Medley teams, as well as the Distance Medley Relay team.
"Brittany has been out most improved runner this year. She has come so far with her power, desire and her drive. This ability has always been in her, and she showed it this year," Barends said.
Starks, who set the school-record in the 200 Dash last year, capped off a stellar season that saw her set the school-record in the 100 (12.50, set Friday at the Trial) and 200 Dash (24.67, set Thursday at the Trial). She also recorded three indoor track school-records in the 60m (7.73), 200m (26.48), and 300m (40.85) Dashes. She set the 55m Dash indoor record in 2008 (7.27).
"She's just a great, natural competitor that wants to win every time. I knew with her being our anchor that we were going to be in great shape down the stretch of the race today."
The future looks bright for Seabrook and Triplett, who are looking to build on the successful foundation that the upperclassmen have built in only four years time.
"Being here for this meet and just being around these great teammates has really shown me how to do great things," Triplett said. "I can't wait for the next three years to start."
The sky appears to be the limit for Seabrook, who hadn't run track since her sophomore year of high school before suiting up for the Crusaders this season.
"She had never run a 4x100 in her life before this season, and has just learned it on the go. To watch her grow and mature, especially over the last six weeks, has been absolutely phonemically," Barends said.
Barends, who came from Ohio Wesleyan University seven years ago to help build the track program, is proud of the team's overall accomplishments.
"These are full-packaged kids with goals and objectives. They're going to graduate, get jobs and be successful, and also can run fast and throw far and jump high. The All-American honors are great, but how these kids are as complete people is just awesome. That's what Capital wants and preaches, and that's been what we've been building on."
Overall, the weekend capped off a strong track season for the Crusaders. The Purple and White had many memorable moments at Marietta's Don Drumm Stadium, as all five performing Crusader athletes (including senior Doug Gibbons with his fifth-place Pole Vault height of 15-11 ¼) were crowned All-Americans.