Dan Nolan  |  Published March 13, 2016

No. 4 in nation

All eight Fighting Scots entries earn All-American honors at DIII meet
James Wilson and Ethan Reschke are shown competing in the 400-meter dash, one of two sprint races that they both reached the final heat.
James Wilson and Ethan Reschke are shown competing in the 400-meter dash, one of two sprint races that they both reached the final heat.
Monmouth College crowned a program-record eight All-Americans and finished fourth in the team standings of the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships held Friday and Saturday in Grinnell, Iowa. Monmouth’s 30 points trailed only three University of Wisconsin schools: national champion Eau Claire, runner-up Whitewater and third-place La Crosse. It’s the Scots’ highest finish since a second-place finish indoors in 2008.

“I was pleased with our finish. It’s a great representation for us,” said Roger Haynes, who also coached the Scots to a third-place finish outdoors in 2007. “I think when you look at the teams that were there, we competed well against teams that are at the top of the game. We’re competing with probably fewer student-athletes on the team and definitely a much smaller student-body. We’ve got a strong group of guys and they’re willing to train and do what we ask. It’s a good example for all of our teams of what can happen when you put the right pieces together.”

The pieces came together quickly in Friday’s competition, with a trio of All-American performances highlighted by James Wilson’s runner-up finish in the long jump. His 23’7-1/2 effort earned the senior his fifth All-American award and fourth indoors, just missing a bookend performance in the event he won as a freshman.

Dan Evers and Joe Ward also made monumental jumps on the opening day to claim their first All-American awards. Evers took advantage of the opportunity after clinching a berth in the 15-man field at the NCAA Championships on the final day of the regular season. A sophomore, Evers took sixth in the pole vault with a career-best effort of 16-2-3/4, finishing one place ahead of teammate Joe Ward, who cleared 15’11 to place seventh. It was a bit of redemption for Ward, who was ninth at last year’s outdoor meet, missing All-American status by one position.

“You could hope for better performances, but Dan and Joe were very good in a national competition to earn their first All-American awards,” said Haynes. “I was very pleased with them. Their sixth and seventh place finishes were very important for our team effort.”

Ethan Reschke and Wilson raced in the same finals heats of Saturday’s 200- and 400-meter dashes, earning four additional All-American awards and giving the Scots needed team points. An All-American in both events a year ago, Reschke duplicated that feat, running to a third-place finish in the 400 with a time of 48.62, just over a second behind the winner, Jake Mihelich of Linfield. He finished eighth in the 200 at 22.46.

Wilson – who ran lifetime-bests in the prelims of both events Friday – turned in a pair of fifth-place finishes to add to his All-American total. His 200 time of 22-flat was just 24-hundredths off the winning pace of UW-Whitewater’s Parker Witt. Running in his final open 400 of the indoor season, Wilson clocked a time of 48.67.

All-Americans in the 4x400 relay a year ago, Reschke, Matt Trainor and Adam Parr were joined by Wilson in the final men’s race of the meet. The foursome turned in a 3:20.13, placing seventh and earning Wilson his fourth All-American award at the championships and Reschke his third, making the tandem the two most decorated competitors at the championships.
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