Results

The Carthage College men's track and field team (21-4 indoor record), ranked 20th in the Feb. 5 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, finished second at the Friday-Saturday, Feb. 7-8 "Red Invitational" at the Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center in Kenosha, Wis.

North Central College won the four-team event with 183 points, followed by Carthage second at 169, Olivet Nazarene University third at 63 and Wheaton College (Ill.) fourth with 54 points.

"We dropped in the national rankings last week from No. 17 to No. 20," noted Carthage coach Brett Witt, "and the guys weren't too happy about that. I told them the only way to fix it was for our national-caliber athletes to perform like national-caliber athletes, and did they ever. Having the opportunity to try and beat the No. 5 in the country [North Central] wasn't a bad source of motivation for the team either. And while we came up 15 points short of beating them, it did prove to ourselves, and hopefully others, that we are and can be a really good team this year."

Carthage's Darin Ward (Fr., Fond du Lac, Wis./St. Mary's Springs) won both the 55-meter hurdles (7.83) and the long jump (22-7 ¼), while Derrik Guyette (Jr., Hortonville, Wis.) took first place in both the shot put (54-9 1/4) and the weight throw (59-0 ¾). The Red Men also collected wins from Trevor James (Sr., Maywood, Ill./Chicago-Hope Academy) in the high jump (Carthage indoor record of 7-0 ½), Cale Brown (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) in the triple jump (44-6 ¼). Mark Balmes (So. Mount Prospect, Ill./Arlington Heights-Hersey) was second in the shot put (53-8 ¼). Quenten Austin (So., Vandalia, Ill./Community) set a Carthage indoor record in finishing second in the heptathlon (4,647 points).

"Derrik Guyette and Mark Balmes both had good days in the throwing events," said Witt. "Both had season-best efforts in the shot put, with Guyette's mark leaving him ranked eighth in the country and Balmes 13th. What else can I say about these two guys? We have one of the best group of throwers in the country and these two lead the way for us. Neither one of them says much—they let their throwing do their talking for them. Freshman Darin Ward continues to impress, as he won the 55-meter hurdles again. Possibly more impressive was him winning the long jump with the 24th best jump in the country."

Carthage travels to Naperville, Ill., on Saturday, Feb. 15 for the Chicagoland Indoor Track and Field Championship at North Central College's Al B. Carius Track, beginning at 11 a.m.