From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Five members of the Case Western Reserve University track and field team received All-Great Lakes Region recognition from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), based on their performances during the 2016 outdoor season.
Spartans receiving All-Region honors included sophomore Aidan DeSanto in the 1,500-meter run, sophomore Grant Mlack in the 400-meter hurdles, junior Nathaniel Wahner in the 200-meter dash, freshman Olivia Newman in the 400-meter hurdles and senior Kristen Ruckstuhl in the 10,000-meter run.
To be named All-Region, an athlete must either be ranked in the top-five of an individual event in the region according to final TFRRS data or be part of a top-three relay team. This was the first year that the USTFCCCA has awarded All-Region honors.
Wahner finished tied for fifth in the Great Lakes Region and 80th in Division III with a school-record time of 21.93 seconds in the 200-meter dash, recorded at the Gator Invitational on May 13th. DeSanto was fifth in the region and 67th in Division III with a 1,500-meter run time of 3:55.52, set at the All-Ohio Championships on April 16th. Mlack was third among Great Lakes competitors and 30th in Division III with a time of 53.85 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles, recorded at the UAA Championships on April 23rd.
Mlack collected his third All-Region honor of the year, after earning the honors during the indoor season for the 60-meter hurdles and the 4x400-meter relay. Wahner also earned an All-Region honor as a part of the 4x400-meter relay in the winter, while the All-Region honor was the first of DeSanto's career.
For the women, Ruckstuhl was fourth in the Great Lakes Region and 25th in Division III in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 36:25.66 at the Dr. Keeler Invitational on May 12th, while Newman fifth in the region and tied for 33rd in Division III with a time of 1:03.18 in the 400-meter hurdles at the Gator Invitational.
The All-Region honor was the second of the year for Newman, who earned the honor during the indoor season for the 400-meter dash. It was the first All-Region Track and Field honor for Ruckstuhl.