Ashland University played host to Day 1 of the 2024 Great Midwest Athletic Conference indoor track and field Championships on Friday (Feb. 23) at the Niss Athletic Center – and the Eagles came away with numerous nationals marks and two conference championships.
The two league titles were earned by redshirt freshman
Hailey Rios in the women's long jump (5.79 meters/19-feet-0) and junior
Elmar Schutte in the men's pole vault, with an improved provisional mark of 5.16 meters/16-feet-11, toward the 2024 NCAA Division II Championships, March 8-9 in Pittsburg, Kan..
Those championships helped both Eagle teams to finish Day 1 in second place in the team standings. Ashland's men have 42.5 points, trailing first-place Findlay (51) and leading third-place Tiffin (40). On the women's side, the Eagles' 36 points are three behind the first-place Oilers (39), and one ahead of third-place Hillsdale (35).
SECOND PLACE – freshman
Kara Fields in the women's pentathlon (3,406 points, improved provo), women's distance medley relay of junior
Lily Dowdell, sophomore
Jade Avance, senior
McKenna Woodruff and fifth-year
Cassandra Ponzi (11:50.51, improved provo), sophomore
Garrett Baker in the men's pole vault (5.16 meters/16-feet-11), and freshman
Matthew Noel in the men's high jump (2.09 meters/6-feet-10¼, improved provo).
THIRD PLACE – Junior
Brock Janowicz in the men's weight throw (20.24 meters/66-feet-5).
FIFTH PLACE – Junior
Kelsey Kinsley in the women's weight throw (18.02 meters/59-feet-1, improved provo) and sophomore
Jaycob Kolleda in the men's high jump (tied, 1.90 meters/6-feet-2¾).
SIXTH PLACE – Redshirt freshman
Leslie Pollock in the women's weight throw (17.69 meters/58-feet-0), and the men's DMR of sophomore
Daylen Madison, senior
Brenden Jackson, freshman
Colton Thress and sophomore
Nate Slater (9:56.84).
SEVENTH PLACE – Junior
Jesse Houle in the men's weight throw (19.46 meters/63-feet-10, improved provo) and junior
Caden Morris in the men's long jump (7.12 meters/23-feet-4½).
EIGHTH PLACE – Senior
Emma Liberatore in the women's long jump (5.45 meters/17-feet-10¾), freshman
Olivia Lazarus in the women's pentathlon (2,761 points), redshirt freshman
Molly Winner in the women's weight throw (17.31 meters/56-feet-9, improved provo), and sophomore
Levi Honderd in the men's long jump (6.96 meters/22-feet-10).
In the men's 60-meter hurdles prelims, junior
D.J. Duncan set a new meet record with an improved provo of 7.88 seconds, and senior
T.J. Skinner finished at a would-be meet mark of 7.94 seconds.
More nationals marks in prelims were earned by freshman
Odessa Smith (8.72 seconds, improved) and Fields (8.82 seconds, new) in the women's 60 hurdles, junior
Noah Wood in the men's 400 dash (48.28 seconds, improved), junior
Mia Gardner (55.39 seconds, improved) and Avance (55.96 seconds, improved) in the women's 400 dash, redshirt freshman
Roosevelt Zeigler (6.84 seconds, new) in the men's 60 dash, and Rios (24.72 seconds, new) in the women's 200 dash.
UP NEXT
The second and final day of the 2024 Great Midwest Championships on Saturday (Feb. 24), starting at 9 a.m.
