AU Men, Women Open Indoor Championships, Fairbanks Wins Weight Throw

On Day 1 of the 2021 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, Saturday (Feb. 27) at Saginaw Valley State, Ashland University's men's and women's track and field teams turned in one title performance and three nationals-worthy marks.
 
In the men's weight throw, the Eagles compiled 17 team points, led by senior Brent Fairbanks' winning heave and improved automatic nationals distance of 21.16 meters/69-feet-5. Senior Cody Patterson was fifth (19.02 meters/62-feet-5), freshman Noah Koch seventh (18.26 meters/59-feet-11), and senior David Amstutz eighth (18.10 meters/59-feet-4).
 
Ashland's men got 13 points in the long jump, with senior Travis Moore taking third (6.88 meters/22-feet-7), junior Storm Elsesser finishing fifth (6.83 meters/22-feet-5), and sophomore Ethan Tabor placing sixth (6.81 meters/22-feet-4¼).
 
The men's distance medley relay team of senior Steven Kapes, senior Channing Phillips, sophomore Nick Ponzi and junior Jake Hall was third (9:57.50), and freshman Trent Kauffman was seventh in the men's pole vault (4.10 meters/13-feet-5¼).
 
On the women's side, the weight throw gave Ashland 18 points. Senior Gianna DiPippo was runner-up with an improved provisional mark of 18.79 meters/61-feet-7, junior Carrol Pauley was third (18.64 meters/61-feet-2), and junior Taylor Kroll fifth (18.09 meters/59-feet-4).

Freshman Emma Liberatore earned a new provisional in the women's pentathlon, finishing second with 3,464 points, and was seventh in the women's long jump (5.21 meters/17-feet-1¼).
 
The highlight of Saturday's preliminaries came from senior Trevor Bassitt, who not only improved upon his automatic nationals times in winning both the 60-meter hurdles (7.68 seconds) and 200 dash (20.84), but broke his own school record in the 60 hurdles by tying his PR set three weeks earlier at the American Track League in Arkansas.
 
On the men's side, Ashland has 39 team points, second only to Grand Valley State (77). The Eagle women are third after the first day with 28 team points, trailing GVSU (69) and Saginaw Valley State (36).
 
Ashland's men and women, ranked No. 2 and 21 in NCAA Division II respectively, will finish the GLIAC Championships on Sunday (Feb. 28).