Trevor Bassitt knows how to bring a crowd to its feet.
Bassitt, the United States Olympian and former Ashland University track and field national champion, won the men's 400-meter dash elite race on Friday (Feb. 7) night during Day 1 of the Fourth
Jud Logan Light Giver Open at the Niss Athletic Center. Bassitt crossed the finish line in 45.67 seconds.
A two-time world outdoor gold medalist to go with two world indoor silver medals and an outdoor worlds bronze, Bassitt was a 10-time NCAA Division II national champion and 21-time D-II All-American at AU. He also was a key cog in three Eagle men's D-II team national titles (2019 indoor and outdoor, 2021 indoor).
His individual national titles came in the outdoor 4x400-meter relay (two), outdoor 400 hurdles (two), indoor 60 hurdles (two), indoor 200 dash (one), indoor 4x400 relay (two) and indoor 400 dash (one).
Bassitt competed for the first time for Team USA in the men's 400 hurdles last summer in Paris, France.
Also in the men's 400 dash elite, senior
Jacob Pielech took third with an improved provisional time of 47.36 seconds toward the 2025 NCAA Division II Championships, March 13-15 in Indianapolis, Ind., and senior
Noah Wood was fourth with a new provisional time of 48.10 seconds.
The running events on Friday went off with a bang, as Ashland's women's distance medley relay quarter of graduate
Hope Sievert, juniors
Montana Walker and
Jade Avance, and senior
Lily Dowdell finished in 11:28.53 – a new school record (by 22 seconds), meet record and Niss record, as well as a new provisional time.
Not bad for a relay which competed for the first time this season.
"Practiced handoffs literally for the first time yesterday," Avance noted. "There's just something about being together as a team. Our energy is contagious. Ashland's just something so special.
"Our coaching staff…literally every coach here has put in so much time, so much effort. They dedicate their life to it. Just reciprocating the energy and the effort that they give to us and putting it on the track is literally the least we can do. They're just amazing. I couldn't ask for a better coaching staff."
Earning new provos on Friday were:
In the women's weight throw elite, Ashland volunteer assistant coach
Rachel Richeson won with a top launch of 25.28 meters/82-feet-11¼. Sophomores
Molly Winner (19.89 meters/65-feet-3¼) and
Leslie Pollock (19.51 meters/64-feet-0¼), 1-2 in NCAA Division II in the weight throw coming into the weekend, were 2-3 on Friday night.
Sophomore
Brianna Chenevey took second in the women's 200 dash in 24.42 seconds, bettering both the previous meet and Niss marks.
Junior
Derrick Amapps finished third in the men's 200 dash in 21.79 seconds.
UP NEXT
The second and final day of the Light Giver Open on Saturday (Feb. 8), starting at 9:20 a.m..
