By: Jenia Freewalt, sports information assistant
FINDLAY, Ohio- On Friday, Feb. 17, the Beavers did not have to travel far for their final regular season indoor competition at the Flag City Open. With it being the last meet before conference, many athletes took it easier while others gave it their all to slide into better seeds for better heats in next weekend's HCAC Championships at Mount St. Joseph University.
The field events kicked off the meet a few hours earlier than the running events. In the men's long jump, junior Desmond Gist (Detroit, Mich./Trenton) took home sliver, placing 2nd with a big jump of 6.78 meters. Following Gist was junior Malik Waters (Lima/Perry) with a jump of 6.46 meters which was good for 4th. Freshman Dontrayell Thomas (Madera, Cal./Edison) earned a spot in 9th place with a leap of 6.04 meters.
In the weight throw, junior Maggie Hartzler (Rittman/Norwayne) had an excellent performance, earning a PR of 12.95 meters! Junior Amanda Scott (Millbury/Lake) also gave it her all and earned a PR with a big throw of 12.44 meters Freshman Paige Smith had a great throw, setting a new PR, which was over two meters better than her previous best, of 10.29! In the shot, Hartzler set a new PR with a big throw of 9.66 meters.
Assistant Coach Stephanie Fox, who works with the throwers, commented on the performance of her athletes as they look toward the HCAC Championship. "This Friday, the women's throwers showed up! Every single one of them PR'd and they had some amazing throws," said Coach Fox. "I'm incredibly proud of them. I'm eager to see them compete at conference this upcoming weekend because I know they can throw even farther!"
Bluffton's distance athletes took a lighter route this week and competed in some shorter events to help keep them fresh for the conference competition next weekend. In the women's mile, sophomore Sammie Unger (Kenton) placed 7th with a season-best time of 6:48, followed by junior Miranda Billman (Castalia/Margaretta) who placed 8th with a time of 7:18.
In the men's mile, junior Alex Montross (Perrysburg) earned a season best with a time of 4:59. Racing the men's 800 meters was freshman Jarrod Roudebush (Coshocton) who set a new PR of 2:11, running side by side with senior Morgan Adams (Dublin/Coffman) who had an amazing race and also finished with a new PR of 2:11 as well!
"I thought as a tune up meet this was about as good as we could have asked for heading into conference," Assistant Coach Connor Gulick explained. "Everyone across the board is hitting their stride at the right time which is exciting to see!"
In the women's 60 meter dash, senior Madalynn Schifer (Bucyrus) set a quick new PR of 8.21!
Gist had a stellar performance in the 60 meter hurdles, sporting a new PR of 8.16, which has him in a three-way tie for 10th in the nation! This time also blew away the competition at Findlay and it broke his own school record!
Also breaking records this weekend and finishing out the meet with a bang was the men's 4x400 team! The unit was comprised of junior Blayden McCoy, followed by sophomore Simon Shawk (Galion), who handed off to sophomore Russell Lough (Wintersville/Indian Creek) and anchor Jayden McConnell (Sunbury/Big Walnut). They gave it their all and flew across the line with a time of 3:27, setting a new school record in the process!
"This past weekend was our best meet as a team!" exclaimed the head of the Bluffton University Track and Field Program, Ben Markison. "We had great performances from all three groups and competed really well. I think this meet will give us tremendous momentum as we head into conference this coming weekend."
With their heads held high, the Beavers returned to Bluffton for one final week of training before the HCAC Championship at Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are eager to put their hard work to the test against the best the conference has to offer.
-BEAVERS-
