Pauley, Elsesser Win League Titles On Great Midwest Meet Day 1

Two Ashland University track and field athletes earned conference titles on Friday (Feb. 24) on Day 1 of the 2023 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Indoor Championships at the Niss Athletic Center and the Jud Logan Memorial Track.
 
Fifth-year thrower Carrol Pauley won a conference title in the women's weight throw, while fifth-year jumper Storm Elsesser did the same in the men's high jump.
 
Pauley's top heave was 19.14 meters/62-feet-10. Ashland earned three of the top eight spots in the weight throw, as sophomore Kelsey Kinsley was fifth (17.45 meters/57-feet-3), and sophomore Kaylyn Barnette was eighth (17.00 meters/55-feet-9).
 
Elsesser improved upon his previous provisional mark for the 2023 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, March 10-11 in Virginia Beach, Va., winning at 2.08 meters/6-feet-9¾.
 
After the first day, Ashland's men are in third place with 30 team points. Findlay is first with 82, and Walsh is second with 39. On the women's side, the Eagles are fourth, as Findlay (43), Cedarville (37) and Tiffin (34) are 1-2-3, respectively.
 
In preliminaries, sophomore D.J. Duncan won the men's 60-meter hurdles at 8.07 seconds, improving upon his previous provo by .10 of a second, while sophomore Mia Gardner's 56.91 seconds in the women's 400 dash was a new provo.
 
NOTABLES

• The men's long jump saw sophomore Caden Morris place third at 7.27 meters/23-feet-10¼, and Elsesser place sixth in 7.09 meters/23-feet-3 ¼.
• In the men's pole vault, freshman Garrett Baker took fifth (4.70 meters/15-feet-5) and junior Wyatt Cory took seventh (4.55 meters/14-feet-11).
• Sophomore Brock Janowicz was fifth in the men's weight throw at 18.84 meters/61-feet-9¾, while the men's distance medley relay of sophomores Colton Pinkerton and Noah Harshbarger, freshman Daylen Madison and senior Joel Pospisil was eighth in 10:13.56.
• In the women's long jump, junior Kaylin Martin took third (5.58 meters/18-feet-3¾), and junior Riley Thomas was fifth (5.49 meters/18-feet-0¼).
• The women's DMR took seventh, as the quartet of junior McKenna Woodruff, senior Macy Creamer, junior Peyton Perini and senior Emma Hinkle finished in 12:21.61.

 
QUOTABLES

• "Overall, I can't complain about anything," said Ashland head coach A.G. Kruger, "because the kids competed hard. They got out there…that's what the conference meet is about, doing it for your teammates, for the team, and keep pushing forward, and they did a great job on Day 1."
• "She (Pauley) throws really well, he (Elsesser) jumps really well," Kruger said. "You put great athletes in great situations, great things happen."

 
UP NEXT
The second and final day of the 2023 Great Midwest Championships on Saturday (Feb. 25), starting at 9 a.m.