Deas, Taylor finish high in NCAAs

NICK PITTS ASST SPORTS EDITOR

NDP722@CABRINI EDU

The women’s track and field team came home from Ohio with not one but two second place finishes from the National College Athlete Association indoor championships.

Senior Lauren Deas and sophomore Christiana Taylor were the representatives from Cabrini. Both qualified for the 55 meter dash, while Taylor also qualified for the long jump.

Their combined efforts were good for eighth place in the meet overall.

In her sixth championship meet, Deas finished her personal highest at the championships on day 2.

Despite coming into the meet ranked first overall, her time of 7.10 was good enough for second place in the 55meter dash.

Though she posted a solid time in the event, it was not her fastest, and one could sense disappointment from Deas for her performance.

“It was my race to win, and it just didn’t turn out that way,” Deas said. “I am happy it was highest place finish, both in indoor and outdoor championship meets, but I really wanted to win.”

Deas actually maintained her first place ranking throughout the preliminaries leading up to the finals. She posted her personal best of 7.08 seconds in the qualifier for the final heat.

“Being ranked No. 1 going into the finals, I ran a little faster through each heat. I really thought I would win it.”

Christiana Taylor finished the 55 meter dash in eighth place overall.

In the first day of competition, Taylor finished second overall in the long jump event. She recorded a jump of 5.64 meters. Though a mere .22 meters away from first place, second was Taylor’s best finish in the championship meet thus far in her career.

With indoor behind them, both athletes are eager to return to the championship meet for outdoor track and field. Taylor has high hopes for a first place finish in the long jump event, while Deas hopes to qualify for the 100 and 200 meter dashes as well as the 4x1 and 4x4 relays. Deas also has her eyes on sweet revenge, well aware that she will face Heidelburg College’s Judy Bataille, the 55 meter dash gold medal winner again in several outdoor events.

“Im getting that girl who beat me,” Deas said. “This is my senior year, and my last chance to win first. It’s mine.”

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KASEY MINNICK SPORTS EDITOR KM735@CABRINI EDU

“This could be one of the best years in Cabrini golf history,” Tim Harner, a history and secondary major, said. Harner, the golf team captain this season, has not always had his heart set on the game of golf. Ever since he was a child he was in love with baseball, until the age of 14. At this age, his father took the chance putting a golf club in his hand and he didn’t look back since.

“In high school, I was determined to do well, mainly because no one thought I could. Harner did just that as he took away the honor of “Unsung Hero” his freshman year and Most Valuable Player recognitions his sophomore, junior and senior years at Williams Valley High School in Pennsylvania. The most memorable moment that Harner had though was when he made it to the District Championships, the second person in his high school’s history to complete this feat.

Last season for Cabrini’s golf team, Harner said, “It was kind of an up and down year. We did not have much depth so it was hard for us to do as well as we would have liked.” The team finished 5th last year so it was exciting when they were projected to finish third in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Championships this season.

Harner believes they may even be underestimated being placed at this third position because no one knows they have gained two solid golfers freshman Mike Ryan and transfer sophomore from Iona University, Brian Walsh.

“Ryan is a very solid player that knows how to play the game. He hits the ball far and is an important piece to us having a great season. And on the other hand, Walsh could have one of the nicest and smoothest swings I have ever seen.”

So far this season, Cabrini has had only one match and earned second place out of six teams and this week brings even more competition, especially Neumann College, which was picked to take the PAC Championships.

Harner not only realized that this team is going to have their “off days, but he can as well. “Playing gold has taught me many things. One day you could be the greatest player and then the next you would be the worst. I would live and die by how I played that day. Now that I know that golf is not the only important thing in life, I live by this one quote: ‘Everything is perfect in the end and if it is not perfect now, then it is not the end.’”