Team on track
Falcon squad dominates in Oberlin
| Results |

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – NDC Track & Field got out of the blocks quickly Friday, starting their season in fine fashion at the Lid Lifter Open in Oberlin, Ohio. Notre Dame athletes earned 31 medals in the non-team-scored event hosted by Oberlin College.

The NDC effort was highlighted by the performances of senior thrower Landon Huvler and senior sprinter April Wanzo, who each qualified for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Indoor Nationals. Huvler notched a new NDC record with a throw of 14.94 meters in the Men's Shot Put. Wanzo, a three-time All-American at Notre Dame, blazed the Women's 200 Meter Dash in 26.13 seconds. Each earned gold for their performance Friday.

Overall, the NDC squad earned 13 gold medals in Oberlin. The Falcons also garnered nine silvers and nine brone medals. In individual running events, sophomore Chad Dobson (gold, bronze) and freshman David Swift (two bronzes) paced the NDC Men with two medals apiece. Junior Allie Rendlesham paced the women's squad with two medals (gold, silver).

The Lid Lifter Open marks the beginning of the NDC Indoor season. The Falcons will compete in five indoor events this season before travelling to the NAIA National Indoor Champonships, which will be held Mar. 6-8, in Johnson City,Tenn.

"This was a good start for us," said Head Coach Joe Magill, who rolled into Oberling with a combined roster considerably larger than that of the 2007 edition. "We think we've built a solid foundation of talent. Friday, we got a chance to see what some of our athletes can do in competition."

The Oberlin event was also attended by teams representing Cuyahoga Community College, Hiram, Lake Erie College, and Ursuline, as well as host Oberlin College.

NDC will continue its season Saturday, Jan. 26, when the team heads owntown to compete in Case Western Reserve's Spartan Invitational, which is slated to begin at 11:00am.

NOTES FROM THE NEST ...

LONG-TOSS LANDON: Landon Huvler's throw of nearly 15 meters (14.94m) shattered his previous best of 13.86 meters. With that toss, Huvler became NDC's first-ever qualifier in the Men's Shot Put.