Athlete Highlight - Bobby Over

Continuing with our "Athlete Highlight Series", hailing from Wadsworth, Ohio, our Captain and All-American Junior Distance Runner, Bobby Over has some things to say about his career and experience here at Allegheny College.

Cross Country All-American, Bobby Over

I transferred to Allegheny after spending my freshman year at Heidelberg University in Ohio. Coming in, I was intimidated by the amount of talent that the team possessed. My first semester here was the spring of 2011 and I was given the opportunity of having one semester with the most talented class of distance runners this program has seen. While almost all of them were vastly faster than me and had the achievements to prove it, they welcomed me with open arms once I got on campus. It was this willingness to accept me, which showed the best quality about the track and cross country program at Allegheny. This program is not made up of just athletes coming together for practices every day. To be a member of the team is to be a member of the family. Teammates here will spend almost every waking minute together because of the bond that the team has developed. Whether it be a movie night at the cross house, studying in the library, or eating meals together at Brooks, your teammates will know everything that goes on in your life because they truly care. When I got on campus, it was a fresh start for me and I felt like a freshman again, but this fresh start was eased by the seniors who took me under their wings and showed me the way. If you believe in the training and trust in your teammates, the results will come.

Over is currently ranked 6th in the Nation in the 3K Steeple Chase

The best moment that I have had while attending Allegheny was when the cross country team qualified to nationals this fall. We were a young team, with four runners from varsity never experiencing a national meet, but like the seniors before us, we showed them the way and achieved what we had set out to do. Allegheny is a team built on traditions and after concluding my first year in a gator uniform, I can proudly say that I look forward to continuing the traditions that got this program to where it is today.

Bobby will be competing this weekend in the 3000m Steeple Chase at the NCAA DIII National Championships in Claremont, CA.

NCAC Outdoor Championships

This past weekend Allegheny College hosted the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships at the Robertson Athletic Complex in Meadville, PA.  Despite the fact that we had a few rain delays on the first day, the meet ran smoothly and we had a lot of awesome performances.

Nathan Taggart

Sophomore Zach Hill finished fifth overall to pace the Gators' contingent at the North Coast Athletic Conference Multi-Event Championships, while providing the Gators with their first points of the 2012 NCAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships last weekend at Ohio Wesleyan University.  Hill delivered some strong performances during the two-day competition, including second in the long jump (20'9.25”), third in the high jump (5'8”), third in the 400m (53.19) and fourth in the 100m (11.72). Hill totaled 5,326 points while closing just outside All-Conference contention.  Freshman Nathan Taggart finished 10th in the decathlon. His best efforts of the weekend included fourth-place finishes in the 110m hurdles (17.11) and high jump (5'7”).

Senior Patrick McLaughlin capped a solid first day for the Gators at the 2012 NCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a third-place finish in the 10,000-meter run. McLaughlin's performance netted the first All-Conference honor for the Blue and Gold this weekend.  McLaughlin split 31:33 and settled for third despite leading for a majority of the race. Allegheny's senior distance standout did most of the work up front, but was still able to produce a strong time in a very strategic race.

Zach Hill

The 10k offered the only finals event on the track on Friday, although the Gators authored a few more personal records with surprising results in the field events. Despite nursing a lower leg injury for most of the campaign, sophomore Zach Hill jumped a career-best 21'1.5” en route to fourth in the individual standings. Sophomore Sean Danaher finished sixth in the discus with a throw of 125'8.”

Taylor Throckmorton

Allegheny's best prelim efforts came from senior Taylor Throckmorton, who set another PR with a time of 22.17 while closing third in the 200m. He also coasted to finals in the 400m with a time of 50.07.  Gators received good performances from Sarah Moss and Dominque Billingslea on the women's side. Moss finished third in the 100-meter hurdles (16.03) and sixth in the quarter (1:01.25), while Billingslea closed with the fifth-best time in the 100m (12.95) and scooped up the final qualifying spot in the 200m (26.94).

Senior Lauren Butler took first place in the shot put to fuel Allegheny on the opening day of the 2012 NCAC Track & Field Championships. Butler, who has dominated the indoor circuit throughout her career, finally secured her first outdoor league title in the shot.  Butler tossed 40'4.25” to sack the event championship, while she also finished seventh in the discus. Senior teammate Kristin Collins finished sixth in the discus and seventh in the shot.

Dominique Billingslea

Allegheny men's track & field received a bevy of great individual efforts as the team closed out the two-day North Coast Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships with a fourth-place finish in the team standings. The Gators carved out a number of personal records, while three athletes copped All-Conference honors during the final day of competition.

Competing in his last conference meet, senior Taylor Throckmorton turned in a pair of outstanding performances to pace the Allegheny brigade. Throckmorton set personal records in both the 200 and 400-meter runs, despite limited recovery time between events. In the quarter, Throckmorton finished second overall to Ohio Wesleyan's Silas Jolliff, but still managed to smash the school record with an impressive time of 48.32. Approximately 35 minutes later, Throckmorton finished fourth in the 200m, although his final time of 22.06 was blazing and marked the third-fastest time in Allegheny history.

Bobby Over

Bobby Over orchestrated a pair of runner-up finishes in the steeplechase and 5,000m. Over was trumped by Wabash's Kevin McCarthy in the steeple, although he completed the 3,000-meter circuit in an incredibly solid 9:06.88. Over rebounded a few hours later and dropped another second-place effort in the 5k with a time of 15:11 in what turned out to be a very tactical race.

Cameron Day

While Throckmorton and Over continued to carry the Blue and Gold, sophomore Cameron Day authored one of the most surprisingly strong performances of the day with a second-place finish in the javelin. Earning his first career All-Conference citation, Day's best toss covered 186'6” and served as the fifth-best throw in Allegheny lore.

Although they finished outside of the All-Conference picture, the team received a pair of good marks from Jacob Seigh and Pat McLaughlin. Seigh finished seventh in the triple jump with a season best leap of 41'1”, while McLaughlin followed up Friday night's All-Conference run in the 10k with a fifth-place finish in the 5,000m (15:27.29).

Lauren Butler

Led by Lauren Butler, who was named North Coast Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Year for the fourth time, Allegheny women's track & field enjoyed an impressive last day at the NCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships en route to fifth place in the team standings.

Butler led a tremendous effort by the Gators in the javelin. Tossing a personal record 141'0”, Butler captured her second event title of the weekend while manufacturing the fifth-best throw in the country this season.

Sophomore Claire DeLucia also delivered a fantastic performance. Setting a personal record with a distance of 112'10”, DeLucia earned All-Conference accolades with a third-place finish. Sophomore Taylor Endress finished fifth overall in the event with a toss of 111'10” to cap an impressive Allegheny contingent.

Claire DeLucia

The Gators replicated the strong results in the hammer as three athletes finished in the top six. Tova Feinberg led the way with a runner-up finish that resulted in the second-best throw in team history. Feinberg (142'10”) closed just ahead of senior Kristin Collins, who threw 142'3” en route to third. Both competitors earned All-Conference plaudits, while Butler added more fuel to the Gators' attack with a personal-record throw of 135'0”.

Sarah Moss

Sophomore Sarah Moss finished in a tie for sixth in the high jump (4'11.75”), but her best event of the day was the 100-meter hurdles. Moss finished second overall in finals with the third-fastest time in team history after crossing the line in 15.71.

Other scorers for the Gators included Kristina Martin, who finished fourth in the steeplechase (11:56.71), Ashley Krause, who closed fifth in the long jump (33'4.5”), Kelly Gallagher, who crossed the line sixth in the 5,000m (18:29.88), and Dominique Billingslea, who finished sixth in both the 100m (12.91) and 200m (26.96).


Click this link to see some pictures from the weekend:
http://static.cnhi.zope.net/flashpromo/meadvilletribune/flashpromo/video/actrack/index.html