Zarembski Claims Third-Straight Title, Men Finish Third

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Defiance College men's track and field team tallied 91 points at the 2009 HCAC Championships, finishing third at the meet for the second consecutive season. The Jackets won three event titles, marking the ninth-straight year at least one DC athlete claimed an individual crown.

Brad Zarembski won his third consecutive HCAC high jump crown, highlighting the meet for Defiance. The junior cleared 6-08.25 to win arguably the conference's toughest event, while also placing fifth in the long jump with a season-best leap of 20-06.50.

Austin Trivett led the Jackets with 25 points at the meet, scoring in five different events. The Defiance, Ohio native had his best place of the day in the javelin, finishing third with a toss of 165-04. Trivett set a personal-record in the 110m hurdles on his way to fourth-place honors with a time of 15.52, while finishing fourth in the high jump as well. The sophomore also scored in the long jump and pole vault at the meet.

The 4x100 relay team cruised to a victory, winning the event by nearly a second with a time of 42.58. The team of Brian Badenhop, Trey Harris, Ryan Perry and Blake Witherspoon moved into second-place on DC's outdoor performance list with their fastest time of the season.

Witherspoon recorded the fastest time of his collegiate career in the 200m on his way to second-place honors, falling just four hundredths of a second short of the Defiance record with his time of 21.84. Harris scored in both 100m and 200m dashes, edging out Perry for sixth in the 100m while placing eighth in the 200m.

Seth Bidlack, coming off a personal-record time in the 800m prelims, crossed the line in 2:00.93 to place fifth in the 800m. The sophomore teamed with Andrew Baker, Kyle Longsdorf and Jordan Weber on DC's 4x400 relay team that finished sixth with a time of 3:32.49. Weber also recorded a sixth-place finish in the 110m hurdles, running a personal-record time of 15.89 to crack the Defiance's outdoor performance list.

Justin Perkins and Issac Wilkins rounded out the scoring for the Jackets in the meet. Perkins, who won the steeplechase on Friday, earned sixth-place honors in the 1500m with a time of 4:20.68, while Wilkins' time of 54.46 placed him eighth in the 400m.

Defiance College's 2009 HCAC Champions

Justin Perkins - Steeplechase    
Brad Zarembski – High Jump
4x100 Relay Team (Brian Badenhop, Trey Harris, Ryan Perry Blake Witherspoon