Flying Bobcats win third place in regionals

The Ohio University Flying Bobcat Team recently competed in Columbus, Ohio. Safety Officer Susie Grundler overlooks Marcello Lima, Katie Ventresco and Sarah Hamann as they prepare for the "Message Drop" event. Photo: Courtesy of the Ohio University Flying Bobcat Team

Ohio University's Flight Team, the "Flying Bobcats", placed third in Region III National Intercollegiate Flying Association's (NIFA) Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) and qualified to go to the National NIFA SAFECON. Only the top three schools in each Region are selected to attend the National Competition. This is the second year in a row that the team has qualified to attend Nationals.

The Regional Competition was hosted by the Ohio State University and was held in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 15 to 19. In addition to placing third overall, the Flying Bobcats won second place on the Flight Events and third place on the Ground Events. The team also brought home several individual trophies. The National Competition will be hosted by the University of North Dakota and will be held in Grand Forks, ND, May 17 to 21, 2003.

Thirty teams, representing 11 regions from around the country, are expected to participate. Last year the Flying Bobcats placed tenth nationally, ahead of the Ohio State University and the U.S. Naval Academy.

This year's team was led by head coach Jeff Stanley and faculty advisor Deak Arch with the help of assistant coaches Kate Pressel, Ben Klein and Jason Forshey. The 14 members who participated in the Regional Competition included: George Armann, Brian Buescher, David Fankhauser, Susie Grundler, Sarah Hamann, Nathan Hines, Marcello Lima, Rob McCoy, Angela Myers, Shannon Pereira, Paige Schroeder, Karrie Shank, Kurt Schoenhals and Katie Ventresco.