Edinger

BEAVER FALLS — One is wrapping up his track and field career while the other is making waves as an underclassman.

Respectively, Dan Dillman and Nick Edinger have been clutch performers for Geneva College's men's track and field team.

Both will be competing at the National Christian College Athletic Association championships, to be held Friday and Saturday in Joliet, Ill.

Dillman, a Slippery Rock High graduate, will throw the shot put and discus while Edinger, a Mars High product, will run both the 5K and 10K.

“They are both captains and have done a fantastic job for us this year,” said Geneva coach Brian Yowler. “We're sending 11 men to the national meet and that's more than we've ever taken to that event.”

Both athletes have also starred for Geneva's indoor track and field squad.

A senior, Dillman managed a throw of 47 feet, 1½ inches in the shot put at last weekend's Presidents' Athletic Conference outdoor championships at Bethany College.

The throw was more than two feet better than the next best effort and would have broken the PAC meet record if not for one small detail — Geneva is not yet a full-fledged member of the PAC.

By the start of the 2011-12 school year, the Golden Tornadoes will have the provisional tag lifted. But for Dillman, he received no medal and his name will not appear in the conference record books.

“It was disappointing, but medals will rust over time,” he said. “My teammates and I know what I did and that is what's really important.”

“He was a talented kid when he came in,” said Yowler of Dillman. “But he's continued to improve since then. This has definitely been his best season.

Dillman is also a member of Geneva's football team, playing defensive end. He received a medical redshirt in his junior year and will suit up for the Tornadoes next fall before graduating in December.

As for track and field, this weekend's national meet will cap a stellar career. It marks the third straight year that he's qualified for the event in both the shot put and discus.“I've been involved with it (track and field) since the seventh grade,” said Dillman, whose career best in the discus is 135-7. “I will miss it, absolutely.“We use the same track that Beaver Falls High School uses,” he added. “Sometimes, I help out with their throwers and I enjoy that. Maybe I'll coach some day.”Edinger competed in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs at Mars, but had to adjust when he got to Geneva.“You have to know the mentality of the race,” he said. “There are longer races in college. You have to be mentally prepared and stay focused.”Edinger qualified for the NCCAA meet as a freshman, but Yowler saw him break out this year as a sophomore.“His work ethic is his strongest attribute and we noticed it as a freshman,” the coach said. “Anything I suggest, he's up for it. He just wants to get better.”Earlier this year, Edinger was frustrated during the indoor season.“My times just weren't what I was hoping for,” he said. “But now I can tell that the winter training is really paying off.”Like Dillman, Edinger was unable to place at the PAC meet due to Geneva's provisional status.But the latter finished the 5K run in a career-best time of 15 minutes, 28.51 seconds. That would have been good for fourth place.Though he is just over eight seconds from breaking the school record in the 5K, Edinger's focus at the national meet will be on the 10K.“I will run the 10K Friday night,” he said. “My best time is (33:10) and the school record is 31:58. That's within my reach.“With the 5K coming the day after, I'm not looking for anything special out of it, though breaking the school record is something I'd love to do over the next two years.”Being an underclassman and a team captain at the same time means a lot to Edinger, who also is a member of the men's cross country team.“It shows Coach Yowler has confidence in me,” he said. “I have the God-given gift of leadership and I want to lead by example.”

Dillman