Bates, Roach Claim Runner-Up Finishes, Three All-American Honors
Junior Kristen Bates (top) finished second in the women's 100-meter hurdles behind a new school record, while senior Patrick Roach claimed runner-up in the men's 800 meters.

Marietta, OH — Junior Kristen Bates and senior Patrick Roach turned in phenomenal performances at the 2009 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships Saturday, as Bates finished as the national runner-up in the women’s 100-meter hurdles event and Roach the silver medalist in the men’s open 800-meter run.

Those two marks joined a fifth-place result from Bates in the triple jump, giving Messiah track and field three All-American performances for the second time in the 2008-2009 academic year: Bates and Roach also accomplished the feat at the 2009 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships, as Bates finished as the runner-up in the 55-meter hurdles and third in the pentathlon while Roach claimed third in the men’s 800.

Saturday at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, Bates and Roach were in top form once again. After a pair of solid Friday performances vaulted the tandem into Saturday’s final heats of their respective track events, even temperatures in the upper 80s could not deter the duo from posting incredible results on the biggest stage of the year.

That was especially true of Bates, who ran a all-time personal best and school-record :14.07 in Saturday’s finals of the 100-meter hurdles — a clip that equaled Friday’s qualifying time of four-time national champion Sumer Rohrs (Frostburg State University).

With Bates pushing Rhors hard throughout Saturday’s championship heat, the Bobcats’ senior responded: Rohrs won the national championship in the event behind an NCAA Division III season-best :13.77, earning her Frostburg State-record fifth national championship in the process.

Rohrs has now won three indoor 55-meter hurdles national championships and two outdoor 100-meter hurdles titles, though her most recent nearly didn’t happen.

At the start of Saturday’s finals, Rohrs was initially charged with a false start and disqualified. As a shock wave slowly permeated the track, another championship official stepped in and challenged the call — eventually resulting into Rohrs’ reinstatement into the race.

Bates’ school-record clip came less than an hour after she finished fifth overall in the triple jump, setting another personal best and school record with a leap of 39 feet, 3 and ¾ inches. Seeded eighth entering the event — Bates’ season-best stood at a school-record at 39 feet, ¼ inches — the Landisburg, Pa. native moved up three spots behind her best-ever leap on her first attempt in the final round of competition.

In the prelims, Bates jumped 38 feet, 7 and ¾ inches to become the eighth qualifier for the nine-athlete finals.

Her All-American finishes brought her collegiate total up to seven overall: In addition to her honors at this year’s indoor national championships, Bates finished third in the triple jump and fourth in the 55-meter hurdles in last year’s indoor national championships, and claimed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles at last year’s outdoor national championships.

Roach, meanwhile, earned his third All-American award with Saturday’s runner-up finish in the 800-meter run, posting a 1:49.51 — just a shade off his school-record clip of 1:48.91 set at the Swarthmore College Last Chance Meet just two weeks earlier.

On Saturday, Roach stayed step for step with eventual national champion Emmanuel Bofa (Whitworth University), as the tandem turned the championship into a two-man race: Bofa was able to outkick Roach at the very end, turning in a Don Drumm Stadium record 1:48.77 to narrowly edge the Falcon senior. The University of St. Thomas’ Brian Sames finished third — over two seconds behind Roach — with a 1:51.69 time.

It was apparent early in the race that Roach was taking an aggressive approach, as the senior exploded hard right from the opening gun — eventually taking a 30-meter lead on the rest of the field. His first 400-meter split was clocked at about :50.8, extending his lead over the field to 40 meters while staying ahead of Bofa by 30 meters.

That continued until the final lap, where — with just 60 meters remaining — Bofa passed Roach. The Falcons’ star was unable to catch Bofa down the homestretch, but easily defeated the rest of the field for a comfortable second-place finish.

Roach adds to his All-American honor from this year’s indoor national championships as well as his fourth-place finish in the 400-meter run in the 2008 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.

Behind the duo’s performances, Messiah finished 21st overall in the women’s team standings (12 points) and 40th overall in the men’s final team scores (eight points).

The 2009 NCAA Division III National Championships were held at Don Drumm Stadium on the campus of Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio. Fans can get detailed information on the meet at the official NCAA Championships site.