Yellow Jackets Place Four on All-Heartland Conference List

GREENWOOD, Ind. – Fresh off of their individual Heartland Conference Championship performances at the HCAC Championships on April 28, four Yellow Jacket athletes were named to the HCAC All-Conference Team as announced by the league offices on Tuesday.

A pair of freshmen, Laura Derov and Samantha Higdon, took the honors for the women, while junior Trevor Matuszak and freshman Brad Zarembski were selected on the men’s side.

Derov earned All-HCAC honors after winning the shot put event with a throw of 38-05.50. Derov’s toss edged the next closest competitor by just over one inch and led a group of three DC throwers in the top six. The honor is not the first of the season for the N. Olmstead, Ohio, native, as Derov also earned All-Ohio recognition on April 18.

Higdon’s score of 142-11 won the hammer throw by nearly two feet for her first collegiate conference title. Higdon also took ninth in the discuss throw with a toss of 95-05. The Waldron, Ind., native earned All-Ohio honors back on Feb. 10 by taking third in the indoor weight throw.

Matuszak recorded the longest throw of his career with a 173-08 in the hammer throw and won the HCAC Championship by over 12 full feet. Matuszak has now posted first-place finishes at four separate events during this outdoor season. The Ottawa Lake, Mich., native took All-Ohio honors at the Indoor Championships in the weight throw on Feb. 10 and won the Outdoor Championships on April 18. Matuszak’s 2007 accomplishments also include being named the HCAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week, breaking the school records for the hammer throw and weight toss and provisionally qualifying for NCAA Nationals.

Zarembski has also provisionally qualified for NCAA Nationals with his personal best score of 6-07.50 in his first-place finish in the high jump competition at the Joe Banks Invitational on April 21. The Toledo, Ohio, native has steadily improved throughout his rookie campaign and has racked up All-Ohio and All-Heartland Conference honors to go with his HCAC Championship in the high jump with a score of 6-06.50.

The Yellow Jackets will be back in action on Friday at the Toledo Open. The meet will serve as one of DC’s final opportunities for individuals to qualify for NCAA Nationals on May 24-26.