Panther Athletics

York College Athletics

Repeat All-American

Indoor track provides season for athletes

Even though the outdoor track and field season never got out of the starting blocks, the indoor season was highlighted by great individual and team efforts alike under ninth-year head coach Justin Carver. The Panthers had a solid weekend at the KCAC Indoor Championships where the women finished third overall as a team and the men finished eighth.

The women were led by several Panthers as Bri Eckerberg (JR/Gering, NE) picked up the only top finish with an NAIA Indoor qualifying mark in the shot put with her throw of 44’ 6”. Brianna Florvilus (SO/Dunnellon, FL) was all over the meet with solid finishes that included second in the 400-meter dash (58.75), third in the 200-meter dash (25.60), fifth in the 60-meter dash (7.96), and fifth in the long jump (17’). Blessing Osueke (JR/Houston, TX) finished

Eckerberg

in second place in the long jump (17’ 7”) and fifth in the triple jump (34’ 8.25”). Sadie Carr (SO/Henderson, NE) took third in the pole vault (9’ 3”).

The women’s 4x400 and 4x800 relays each finished third with times of 4:16.45 and 10:10.37 respectively. Mackenzie Grauberger (SR/ Prescott, AZ), Osueke, Maria Geesaman (SO/Greeley, CO), and Hannah Rohda (SR/Omaha, NE) were on the 4x400 team, and the 4x800 team consisted of Geesaman, Grauberger, Rohda, and Katrina Murdock (JR/ San Bernardino, CA). Geesaman finished fourth in the 1000 meter run (3:13.51), and the distance medley relay consisting of Murdock, Carr, Connie Nickell (JR/Clackamas, OR), and Hannah DeHart (FR/York, NE) finished sixth overall.

On the men’s side, Carter Price (SR/Rapid City, SD) was the top individual finisher with a secondplace finish in the 200-meter dash (22.28) and fourth in the 60-meter dash (6.98). The men’s 4x400 relay team of Price, Sheyi Ajiboye (SR/Houston, TX), Ian Meek (JR/Montrose, CO), and Kyle Wynn (SR/ Waukegan, IL) finished third with a time of 3:25.02, and Meek finished fourth in the 800-meter run

Price

(1:59.84). The 4x800 relay team of Meek, Wynn, Joe Ruffcorn (JR/Basehor, KS), and Hosea Kiptoo (SO/ Rift Valley, Kenya) finished in sixth place (8:25.40), and Jarod Belden (FR/Ontario, CA) took seventh in the high jump (5’ 11.25”).

At the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Brookings, SD, Price ran a personal best in the 400-meter finals (47.81) and took the All-American podium with 6th place. Eckerberg’s shot throw (43’ 9.75”) and Florvilus’ 400-meter dash (57.31) just missed out on AllAmerican status with their ninth-place finishes. Osueke jumped 17’ 2” in the long jump which was good enough for 20th. n

Two-time NAIA All-American Carter Price gives it all he has during the Concordia University Classic. (above)

The women took third at the KCAC Indoor Track and Field Championships in Wichita, Kan. (above)

Chad Karcher, Tori Schindler, Dennis Leinen, and Matthew Madole pose with the new AEDs. (below)

Panther Strong

Wrestlers awarded Team of Character

It was a bitter sweet ending for women’s wrestling under second year head coach Jeff Albers. The Panthers had a very successful outing during the KCAC Women’s Wrestling Championships as they finished third overall, just a half point behind second-place. During spring break, the team made the 460 mile trek to Jamestown, ND, for the NAIA Championships only to be told the following day that the tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus.

At the conference championships, six wrestlers were named First Team All-KCAC. Claire Payne (SO/Ukiah, CA—109 lb) and Audriana Beattie (FR/McKinleyville, CA—143 lb) were the top place finishers for the Panthers with each of them earning secondplace honors. Autumn Branson (FR/Fairbury, NE—109 lb), Emily Fergeson (SO/Euless, TX—116 lb), Charity Goldsmith-Ding (SO/ Ione, CA—170 lb), and Marissa Patterson (SO/Topeka, KS—191 lb) all finished in third place. York was also awarded the KCAC Team of Character with Rosa Vallejo (SO/El Paso, TX) winning the individual Champion of Character award.

The men’s wrestling program under first year head coach Chad Mattox had four athletes named First-Team KCAC at the end of the season, three of which qualified for nationals. John Fox (FR/Gilroy, CA—141lb) and Harley Williamson (SO/ Euless, TX—125 lb) both placed 3rd at conference, Pierce Mederios (JR/ Mountain Home, ID— 133lb) took 4th, and Marce Vasquez (SO/Bridgeport, NE—197lb) placed 7th.

NAIA All-American John Fox pinned both of his opponents in the first period during the Panther’s home duals. (left)

YC Receives Lifesaving Donation

Cardiac arrest is a game-changer and a life-ending event for so many but does not have to be. Access to an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) can be a lifesaver in critical moments. For York College students, faculty, staff and campus visitors, the availability of AEDs across campus just expanded in a big way thanks to two charitable foundations.

Chad Karcher, long-time athletic trainer at YC, had identified the need to exponentially increase the number of available AEDs on campus and sent out the call for partners who shared his vision for a safer campus.

An anonymous foundation responded in December 2019 with a grant enabling the College to purchase six AEDs, but the news got even better when the Jeffrey Bowman Heart Fund responded by supplying two more AEDs bringing the total to

Coach Albers and Coach Mattox were especially proud of their wrestlers being awarded the KCAC Team of Character for the season.

At the 2020 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships, Fox became the ninth YC wrestler to earn NAIA All-American honors with his eighth place finish. Fox started off his weekend with two upsets over ranked opponents, beating the 11th-seeded wrestler from Simpson 7-1 and the sixth-ranked opponent from Cumberlands with a 4-0 decision. In the quarterfinal match he lost to the eventual national champion from Doane.

Fox

On Saturday he guaranteed his spot on the podium as he pinned eight-seeded Dayton Marvel from Campbellsville in the third period before losing his final two matches by 5-4 and 6-2 decisions.

After losing his first match 8-4, Mederios bounced back and won in sudden victory 8-6. In his final match of the season he lost a tough 3-2 decision to Jacob Seto who finished fifth overall. Williamson went 0-2 in his NAIA National Championship debut.

At the conference championships Williamson won the KCAC/ SAC Gorrarian award, given to the wrestler with the most falls in the least amount of time. The team won the KCAC Team of Character award for their efforts outside the wrestling room with Mederios earning the team’s Champion of Character award. n

eight. These eight units plus the five already on campus, and two accessible at the baseball and softball complexes, make a total of 15 units available at YC for necessary use.

“This has been a goal of mine for years; it was just a matter of finding a way to make it a reality,” said Athletic Trainer Chad Karcher. “This doesn’t just benefit our students and campus but also our community and those who use our facilities.”

An AED is a portable medical device that can be used in sudden cardiac arrest to analyze the heart's rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.

Plans are to now provide training on the units for faculty and staff in the fall.