The Ashland University track and field teams had a busy two days.
On Friday, Feb. 13, the Eagles travelled up north to Grand Valley State University for the GVSU Big Meet, where athletes competed in both running and fielding events. The meet ran for two days into Saturday, Feb. 14. Also on the 14th, the Eagles sent a set of DMV runners to compete at the Spire College Indoor Games.
At both meets, the Eagles were able to secure a few key placements, personal records and national marks.
In Friday's festivities, Colton Thress led the notable performances, recording a 1:48.87 in the men's 800-meter run, while Hope Sievert followed behind in the women's event, coming in at a time of 2:09.55. Thress's time put him No. 6 in the Division II ladder, while Sievert moved up to 15.
In the men's 5000-meter run, Braeden Geist came in at a time of 14:15.45. This was also a school record and pushed him to the No. 36 rank in the nation.
Each of these distance times was all pr's and provisional marks.
In the men's 60-meter hurdles, Jon Lutz recorded a top time at 7.88, which was also a provisional mark and pr. For just a freshman, he's already putting his stamp on the sport, as he's now No. 7 in the nation in that event.
In the fielding side of things, Hayden Valenti put up an impressive 19.79-meter throw in the 35-pound weight toss.
After such a strong opening day, the Eagles returned to find even better results on Saturday.
To kick things off, Brayden Jackson dominated the men's pole vault, jumping a mark of 5.25 meters (17 '2.75") for a No. 5 spot in the nation. Also in the same event, Cameron Nightingale recorded an impressive 4.90-meter jump (16'.75"), pushing him to the No. 32 spot.
In other field events, Ayden Bidwell put up a respectable 18.56-meter (60 '10.75") throw in the men's 35-pound weight toss.Â
At Spire, the men's DMR team was incredible. A team consisting of Wes Taylor, Joey Wahl, Colton Thress and Zach Vales put up a time of 9:44.83, which is not only a school record, but also the No. 7 mark in the nation.
With the indoor season wrapping up, the Eagles have put themselves in a good position to secure conference and national titles in the coming months.
Moving forward, Ashland will turn its attention to a Last Chance Meet, being held at the Niss Athletic Center on the campus of Ashland University. It'll take place on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 11:00 a.m. EST
