NCAC Indoor Track Championships

Edited: Mar. 1, 2008

Date: Friday and Saturday, Feb. 29-Mar. 1	Host: Denison University	Admission: No charge

Individual Awards
	Men	Women
Outstanding Sprinter/Hurdler of the Year:	Michael Barnes, Denison	Casey Ridgeway, Ohio Wesleyan
Outstanding Middle/Distance Runner of the Year:	Ryan Place, Allegheny	Joanna Johnson, Denison
Outstanding Field Athlete of the Year:	David Burke, Ohio Wesleyan	Emily Pfeufer, Allegheny
Coach of the Year:	Kris Boey, Ohio Wesleyan	Kris Boey, Ohio Wesleyan

2008 Championship Recap
Ohio Wesleyan claimed matching men's and women's championships at the NCAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, held at Denison, Feb. 29 - Mar. 1. The Battling Bishop men earned their seventh title, and first since 2002. They captured five first-place finishes and swept the relays to total 163.5 points and outdistance five-time defending champion Allegheny (135), Denison (73), Wabash (69) and Oberlin (49.5) in the men's field. The Ohio Wesleyan women claimed their second straight NCAC crown, and seventh overall, with 154 points. The championship came courtesy of the Battling Bishops' second-place finish in the final event of the day, the 4x400 meter relay, which put OWU two points past runner-up Allegheny (152). Oberlin wound up third with 123 points, followed by Wittenberg (53.5) in fourth and Wooster in fifth (42).

Women's Most Valuable Performers: Ohio Wesleyan's Casey Ridgeway was named the women's Sprinter/Hurdler of the Year after winning the 55 meter dash (7.36), the 200 meter dash (26.28) and running on the first-place 4x200 meter relay. Allegheny's Emily Pfeufer was tabbed the women's Field Athlete of the Year for the third straight season following her victories in the long jump.(17' 0.75") and the triple jump (36' 5"). The Distance Runner of the Year award went to Oberlin's Joanna Johnson who won the 5,000 meters (18:14.99) and finished second in the 3,000 meters (10:35.14). She is the second straight Oberlin woman to win the award, following Flannery Cerbin in 2007.

Men's Most Valuable Performers: Allegheny's Ryan Place earned his second NCAC Distance Runner of the Year award after winning the mile, the 3,000 meters and the 5,000 meters. Place matched the distance race triple-crown that he previously achieved in 2006 - for which he also earned this award. His times in the mile (4:17.37) and in the 3,000 (8:34.04) established new NCAC records and his time in the 5,000 (14:45.60) met the NCAA provisional qualifying standard. Michael Barnes of Denison, the 2006 NCAC indoor champion in the 400 meters, won both the 200 and 400 meter dash's to earn Men's Sprint/Hurdler of the meet. Barnes won the 400 with a time of 50.24 seconds which was the fastest time in the event at an NCAC Championship since 2003. He returned in the 200 meter dash with a time of 22.65. Ohio Wesleyan's David Burke captured event titles in the triple jump (44' 10.75") and high jump (6' 3.5") and was named the NCAC's Field Athlete of the Year.

Coach of the Year: Ohio Wesleyan head coach Kris Boey earned his first coach of the year award in the men's championship, and his second straight in the women's championship.