By: Jenia Freewalt, sports information assistant
OBERLIN, Ohio - After missing the first scheduled meet of the season due to weather, the Beavers were ready to race at the Oberlin College Spring Opener. With the team being so young, this was the first collegiate outdoor track meet for many of the Beavers.
The meet started with the field events on Saturday. For the throwers, junior Michael Lindhorst (Lindsey/Woodmore) had a wonderful performance with a PR in discus (48.05), finishing in 7th place, and hammer (43.13), finishing in 3rd place, as well as securing a spot in the All-Ohio meet in a couple weeks. Throws Coach Stephanie Fox commented on his performance, saying, "I'm super proud of him, and I'm excited to see how far he throws this season!"
For the throwers, junior Dakotah Bunn (Millbury/Lake) threw discus for the first time, setting a PR of 38.05 meters. Also in the discus, junior Henry Wright (Wooster) threw a new PR of 35.29 meters for 8th place. In the women's discus, junior Emma Payne (Hicksville) threw a new PR of 32.44 meters.
Coach Fox commented on the performance on all the athletes she coaches, saying, "I'm proud of my throwers for working together and trying their best even though I couldn't make it! They are truly a great group of student-athletes to work with."
In the men's long jump, sophomore Desmond Gist (Detroit, Mich./Trenton) set a new PR of 6.86 meters, finishing in first, and he had a great day overall.
In the women's 100 meter dash, junior Madalynn Schifer (Bucyrus) raced a tough sprint into the wind and earned a lifetime best of 13.38 while placing 4th. In the men's 400 meter race, freshman Jayden McConnell (Sunbury/Big Walnut) who PR'd with a time of 50.81 for 1sr place, and sophomore Blayden McCoy (Fresno/Ridgewood) who PR'd with a time of 52.19 and placed 4th. Both set PRs and raced very well. In the women's 400 meter race, freshman Kinsey Myers (Stryker) kicked off her first collegiate outdoor race by setting a new PR of 1:05.64 while finishing in 5th place.
Assistant Coach Ben Markison who works with the jumps and sprints athletes commented on the work ethic of his athletes, saying, "That group as a whole has been working really hard and I'm glad the times are reflecting that. Overall, I think the team had a really solid meet despite the less-than-ideal conditions."
In the men's 5000 meter race, sophomore Alex Montross (Perrysburg) finished in 6th place, racing a PR of 16:01. In the men's 1500 meter race, freshman Simon Shawk (Galion) set a new PR of 4:15, placing 8th, and freshman Braeden Horn (Galion) set a new PR of 4:50. In the women's 1500 meter race, freshman Sammie Unger (Kenton) set a PR of 6:15, and sophomore Brooke Barnes (Ashland/Crestview) set a new PR of 5:59.
In the women's 800 meter race, freshman Clara Matthews (Bluffton) raced a new PR of 2:45.
In the men's 3000 meter steeplechase, freshman Cole Kropka (New London) set a PR of 10:45, finishing in 3rd place. All of the athletes competed in some tough and cold conditions.
Head Coach Scott Black commented on the meet as a whole. He was very proud of the athletes, and said, "It was great to see multiple PRs and a number of other strong performances to start the season and give us something to build on moving forward." The Beavers are off to a strong start, kicking off their season, even in some tough weather conditions. They are using this momentum going into their next week of training before racing at the Marv Frye Invitational at Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday, April 9.
-BEAVERS-
