Ohio Athletic Conference Track Title
By: Matthew Florjancic, Correspondent
BEREA, OH
—A key to the Baldwin-Wallace College women’s outdoor track and field team winning another Ohio Athletic Conference title is senior sprinter Liz Redd (Canton/ GlenOak). Redd is having her finest season as a collegian this spring.During her four years as a Yellow Jacket standout student and athlete, the North Canton native has made a huge impact in the program. Entering the 2006 OAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship Meet today (May 12, 2006) at Marietta College, Redd has led B-W to back-to-back OAC indoor titles, back-to-back All-Ohio indoor and outdoor titles and the 2005 OAC outdoor crown.
"Liz has been a key to restoring the championship success of our women’s track and field program," said veteran Head Coach Dr. Bill Taraschke. "She is an outstanding competitor who is talented in many ways and is a leader in the classroom and on the track."
"My favorite memory at B-W was winning the OAC Indoor Championship this year," said Redd, this week’s OAC Outdoor Track Runner of the Week for her effort at last Saturday’s University of Toledo Rocket Meet where she provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division III National Meet in the 200-meter dash in 25.31 seconds and led the 1600-meter relay team to victory. "At the OAC indoor meet, out team pulled together and was able to score in all events. Also, during the meet, I won my first individual title in the 300-meter dash.
"As a senior, it was a great way to end my last indoor season and exciting to be a part of a continuing tradition of excellence."
The Yellow Jacket woman’s program, under the tuteledge of Taraschke has dominated OAC indoor and outdoor championship Meet. In the last 19 OAC indoor meets, the B-W women have won 17 titles, including a school-record 15 straight from 1988-2002. In the past 18 outdoor meets, B-W has won 15 crowns, including a pair of OAC-record streaks of seven consecutive titles."
During her four-year career, Redd has earned 15 All-OAC honors for her efforts on the track (The top three in each event at the OAC Championship Meet is deemed All-OAC). She was a member of the 2004-2005 outdoor 400-meter relay team that set a school record with a time of 48.26 seconds. Redd has also been on two OAC Championship relay teams. Heading into this year’s OAC Championship Meet, Redd is looking to bring more hardware home to Berea.
"As an individual, I would like to set personal bests in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes and earn All-OAC honors," she said. "I would love to have the opportunity to compete at the NCAA Division III National Championships as well. It would be a great end to my career."
Redd and the Yellow Jackets are halfway home to that goal of winning both championships in one year. The B-W women finished in first place at the All-Ohio Meet earlier this spring and defeated the second place school, Otterbein College, by 63 points. Otterbein is expected to be B-W’s main competitor this weekend at Marietta.
At the All-Ohio Meet, Redd had a very good showing. She won the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.89 seconds. Redd joined freshman 400-meter specialist Rebekah Paul (Ginsonburg), sophomore long jumper/ hurdler Kristen Paulsen (Oberlin/ Firelands), junior high jumper Kim Johnson (Athens) and senior discus thrower Megan McDannel (Berea) as Yellow Jackets who brought home individual titles.
Paul won the 400-meter dash and Paulsen took the title in the 100-meter hurdles. Paulsen’s mark of 15.00 seconds in the hurdles provisionally qualified her for the NCAA Meet which will be hosted by Benedictine (Ill.) University. Johnson won the high jump and McDannel was the champion of the hammer throw.
Redd knows the season has been a good one so far for the Yellow Jacket 400 and 1600-meter relay teams and is looking forward to a rematch with the other of the OAC’s top 400 and 1600-meter relay teams.
"The season has gone really well," said Redd, who has led the Yellow Jackets to four meet titles in five scored meets this spring. "We have a very strong team and have competed well in scored meets. Our top competitors at the OAC Championship Meet will continue to be Otterbein and Ohio Northern.
"I am looking forward to running against Ohio Northern’s 1600-meter relay team," she Redd. "We had a great race against them indoors and we’re ready for a rematch!"
When these two teams faced off during the indoor season, the Polar Bear relay squad ran an event-best 4:06.01. The Jackets’, who finished second, ran the race in 4:06.03.
No matter how many championships she wins or honors she receives, Redd continues running for one, simple reason.
"Running is my first love and passion," she said. "It is something that I will do for as long as my body will allow. It is my outlet from everything else going on in my life.
"It also helps that all of my best friends are on the team," Redd added. "The coaches are great too. Running track at B-W has been a great experience."
The OAC track community also thought the coaches were outstanding. Along with John Carroll’s coaches, the B-W staff was named Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coaching Staff of the Year. Individually, head track coach Bill Taraschke has been named OAC Indoor Coach of the Year nine times. In the outdoor setting, Taraschke has earned 14 Coach of the Year honors, including 13 straight awards from 1990-2002.
Redd is an outstanding student-athlete who gets the job done on the track and in the classroom. The health and physical education major is a Dean’s List student who is also a member of the Alpha Lambda Academic Honor Society. Redd also belongs to Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society in Education, and Uni Alpha Sigma.
At B-W’s Honors Day Ceremony, Redd was the recipient of the Lee Tressel Scholar-Athlete Scholarship. Earlier this year, she was given the Ohio Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (OAHPERD) Memorial Scholarship. Redd also helps with Campus Entertainment Productions and serves as a Resident Assistant in one of the dorms on B-W’s campus.
Redd came to B-W from GlenOak High School in Canton, Ohio. While wearing the Green & Gold of the Golden Eagles, Redd was a member of one OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) state championship team as well as an OHSAA runner-up relay team. She chose B-W after examining what each school had to offer her.
"There were two things I was looking for in a school. The first was the opportunity to run and compete well, and the second was to choose a school that offered a health and physical education program," said Redd. "B-W had both and I had a great experience when I visited the campus.
"I fit in with the team and the health physical and physical education program is top-knotch," continued Redd. "It was an easy decision for me."
She expects a lot out of herself, but knows all of the sacrifices will be worth it in the end.
"Having the opportunity to provide children and young adults with the knowledge necessary to make healthy decisions for the rest of their lives is very important and why I chose a health and physical education major," Redd stated. "As a teacher I will have the opportunity to build relationships with the students, coach young athletes and be a role model."
After graduation, Redd will continue striving for success.
"I plan to pursue a teaching and coaching position at the middle or high school level," she added. "I plan to work toward a Master’s degree in exercise science within the next few years and hope to eventually coach and teach at the college level."
Participating in sports in something that Redd’s parents, David Redd and Marilyn Miller, have always instilled in her.
"Athletics has always been a part of my life," she said. "I began swimming at a very young age with my mom.
"My parents always encouraged me to try everything and that’s what I did," Redd added.
Even though Redd is in the twilight of her track and field career at B-W, she has one more thing to do.
"I want to defend our OAC outdoor title," said Redd. "We have taken it one step at a time. We made it our goal as a senior class to restore the tradition of winning OAC and All-Ohio titles at B-W. So far, we have done it. This is the final step for us as a group. We want to go out as champions."
If they run like they have in the past, the B-W women, with Redd as one of its key leaders, will be in contention, not only for the OAC title, but also for several spots in the NCAA Division III National Track and Field Championship Meet on Memorial Day weekend.
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