Miller, Back break records

While the possibility of the biggest snowstorm of the winter threatened outside Saturday, a pair of former Patriots loomed large indoors.
Jay County High School graduates Eme Miller and Tyler Back each broke a school record at Saturday’s Don and Riley Zimmer Indoor Classic at Trine University. Hannah Moore, a 2012 South Adams graduate, added a first-place finish.
Miller dominated the women’s mile run for Defiance College, taking the top spot in the race in 5 minutes, 21.31 seconds. The junior, who also owns the Yellow Jackets’ cross country records, had set the previous record of 5:25.2 last season.
Back set a career best in the weight throw for the second straight week while breaking the Goshen College record in the process. The sophomore posted a distance of 46 feet, 6 ¾ inches, which was good for fourth place and qualified him for the National Christian College Athletic Association National Championships.
He was also fifth in the shot put at 43 feet, 5 ¾ inches.
Moore led the Foresters to a dominating effort in the 5,000 run as they took three of the top four spots. She won the race in 19:18.43, with teammates Rosie Ditzler and Natalie Spahr second and fourth respectively.
And Tim Lehman (South Adams – 2012) added a fifth-place finish for the Goshen College men’s team in the 600 run. He posted a time of 1:26.25.
Miller and Back also competed at the Jan. 24 Defiance College Invitational, with the former winning the 5,000 run with a time of 19:03.61. Back set a pair of career bests by placing sixth in the weight throw at 44 feet, 4 ¾ inches, and eighth in the shot put at 42 feet, 4 inches.

Elijah Kahlig
Fort Recovery – 2014
Turned in some late-game heroics to lead the University of Findlay men’s basketball team to a 71-67 overtime victory Monday against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe Wayne State.
Kahlig had back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds to erase a 57-51 deficit, and then had a block and rebound on the final possession of the game to force overtime. He started the extra period with a lay-up, and added a pair of free throws to help the  Oilers (9-9, 6-8 GLIAC) get the win.
He finished with 10 points, five rebounds and one steal.

Kegan Comer
Jay County – 2013
Turned in his highest scoring game in two months Tuesday to lead the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics No. 13 University of St. Francis men’s basketball team to a 77-68 victory over seventh-ranked Bethel.
Comer hit a trio of 3-pointers as he posted 19 points, his most since scoring 25 Dec. 2 in a win over Taylor. He added four rebounds, two assists and a steal for the Cougars (19-6).
The sophomore also had eight points, four assists, two rebounds, a block and a steal Saturday in a one-point loss to No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan.
He totaled five points, four assists and two rebounds Jan. 27 in a win over Taylor and 10 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal in a win over Mount Vernon Nazarene.

Erin Hunt
Jay County – 2011
Has scored in double figures in two of her last three games for the Bethel College women’s basketball team, including an 11-point effort Wednesday in a 74-60 loss to ninth-ranked St. Francis.
Hunt had a team-high four assists in addition to her scoring output, and added three rebounds and two steals. She had 14 points, a team-best five assists, three steals, two rebounds and a block Jan. 28 as the Pilots (9-16) fell 81-79 to Goshen.
The senior totaled eight points, five assists, five rebounds and two steals in Saturday’s 70-61 loss to Spring Arbor and notched seven points, four assists, three rebounds and a block in an 87-59 Jan. 24 loss to No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan.

Josh Lykins
Jay County – 2014
Placed first in the 100-meter butterfly for the Lindsey Wilson College men’s swim team Jan. 24 in a double-dual meet with Bethel College and host Campbellsville (Kentucky).
Lykins touched the wall in 1 minute, 8.43 seconds, for the Blue Raiders, who defeated Campbellsville 139-31 and Bethel 140-16.
He also placed third in the 500 freestyle with a time of 27.62 seconds, and joined Zac Patzer, Gage Setzer and Jose Prado De Lima to finish runner-up in the 200 freestyle relay (1:47.3).

Erica Waugh
South Adams – 2011
Racked up a series of second-place finishes Jan. 24 in her final home meet for the Calvin College women’s swim team.
Waugh was second in both backstroke events, posting times of 1 minutes, 1.23 seconds, in the 100-yard race and 2:13.09 in the 200 as the Knights knocked off Hope 157-143. She was also the runner-up in the 1,000 freestyle in 11 minutes, 20.69 seconds.
She joined Megan Schroder, Klara Oh and Lexi Scott for second place in the 200 medley relay in 1:53.15.

Wade Gelhaus
Fort Recovery – 2013
Led the Saginaw Valley State University men’s basketball team in rebounds Jan. 24 in a 66-58 loss to Michigan Tech.
Gelhaus grabbed five boards to go along with his eight points and one assist for the Cardinals (17-4). He added four points, four rebounds and an assist Jan. 26 in a 101-68 destruction of Grace.
The junior scored two points in each of SVSU’s last two games — a win over Hillsdale and a loss to Ferris State — and had one in a Jan. 29 victory over Grand Valley State.

Neal Fennig
Jay County – 2011
Competed for the Ball State University men’s swim team Jan. 23 in its 171-71 loss to Milwaukee.
Fennig’s top individual effort came in the 100-yard freestyle as he placed eighth in 49.16 seconds. He was also 10th in the 200 freestyle in 1 minute, 47.05 seconds, and teamed with Jake Eckert, Zach Toman and Nate Slack for sixth in the 400 medley relay in 3:38.43.
The senior finished in 4:48.97 for ninth in the 500 freestyle as the Cardinals finished last in a six-team field at the Jan. 25 Butler Invitational. He was 16th in the 100 backstroke in 54.42 and fifth in the 400 freestyle relay along with teammates Cole Smith, JD Middleton and Austin Green in 3:10.74.