2008 Woodie Awards
Odele and Zaffino earn first-place finishes
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Sports
Sophomore Tony Odele and senior Amy Zaffino led the Western Illinois track and field teams at the Eastern Illinois Invitational. Odele took home two first-place finishes and one second-place finish, while Zaffino earned a first-, second- and third-place finish.
The Leathernecks took third at the meet behind Indiana State and the host Panthers, while the Westerwinds came in third behind Eastern and Indiana State.
"I think we did all right," said head coach Mike Stevenson. "I think the team had a hard time finding their rhythm due to the weather."
The first of Odele's first-place finishes came in the discus throw, where he recorded a mark of 44.10m (144'08"), just under two meters longer than his closest competition. The Springfield, Ill., native followed that performance with a first-place time in the 110-meter hurdles, with a time of 15.15 seconds.
"Tony had a great day," Stevenson said. "He was close to his personal bests."
Senior Sean Delahunt was the only other member of the men's team to finish first in an event, taking home the top spot in the shot put with a mark of 16.63m (54'06.75"). The throw was over three meters longer than Odele's (13.45m (44'01.50")), who came in second in the event. Senior Walt Willis finished in fourth in the shot put with a mark of 12.96m (42'06.25"). Willis also earned a third-place finish in the hammer throw, with a mark of 49.37m (162'00").
"Tony and Sean were a one-two punch in the shot put today," Stevenson said. "It shows how much better we are in the field than a lot of teams. Even though they didn't throw their best today, we still dominated."
On the women's side, Zaffino earned her best finish in the hammer throw, taking first with a throw of 47.77m (156'09"). The Shorewood, Ill., native moved on to take second in the discus, with a mark of 40.44m (132'08"), before throwing a personal best of 12.15m (39'10.50") in the shot put for third place.
Senior Beth Whalen was one of two other Westerwinds to take home first-place finishes. The Bettendorf, Iowa, native ran the 5,000-meter run in 17:52.17 for first, just under one minute faster than teammate freshman Carianne Cottone, who finished second (18:42.32).
The Leathernecks took third at the meet behind Indiana State and the host Panthers, while the Westerwinds came in third behind Eastern and Indiana State.
"I think we did all right," said head coach Mike Stevenson. "I think the team had a hard time finding their rhythm due to the weather."
The first of Odele's first-place finishes came in the discus throw, where he recorded a mark of 44.10m (144'08"), just under two meters longer than his closest competition. The Springfield, Ill., native followed that performance with a first-place time in the 110-meter hurdles, with a time of 15.15 seconds.
"Tony had a great day," Stevenson said. "He was close to his personal bests."
Senior Sean Delahunt was the only other member of the men's team to finish first in an event, taking home the top spot in the shot put with a mark of 16.63m (54'06.75"). The throw was over three meters longer than Odele's (13.45m (44'01.50")), who came in second in the event. Senior Walt Willis finished in fourth in the shot put with a mark of 12.96m (42'06.25"). Willis also earned a third-place finish in the hammer throw, with a mark of 49.37m (162'00").
"Tony and Sean were a one-two punch in the shot put today," Stevenson said. "It shows how much better we are in the field than a lot of teams. Even though they didn't throw their best today, we still dominated."
On the women's side, Zaffino earned her best finish in the hammer throw, taking first with a throw of 47.77m (156'09"). The Shorewood, Ill., native moved on to take second in the discus, with a mark of 40.44m (132'08"), before throwing a personal best of 12.15m (39'10.50") in the shot put for third place.
Senior Beth Whalen was one of two other Westerwinds to take home first-place finishes. The Bettendorf, Iowa, native ran the 5,000-meter run in 17:52.17 for first, just under one minute faster than teammate freshman Carianne Cottone, who finished second (18:42.32).
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