Season Review: The Ohio Northern Men’s Track & Field team finished among the top in the Ohio Athletic Conference in 2014-15
By: Ashley Birchmeier
ADA — Under sixth-year head coach Jason Maus, ONU finished the indoor portion of its schedule with a 44-6 mark and the outdoor portion with a 57-5 record.
The program saw 17 athletes earn All-OAC honors, four Academic All-OAC accolades, and one All-American honor.
Maus, and his coaching staff also earned OAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the teams performance during the outdoor season.
Northern opened its indoor season with the unscored Northwest Ohio Meet.
The Polar Bears then continued on the road and won the 11-team Defiance Invitational the next weekend.
ONU then competed in the OAC Split Meet at Baldwin Wallace, claiming second of five teams before returning home to host the Joe Banks Invitational.
The men concluded the indoor season with the OAC Championships, where ONU finished second of 10 teams.
The Polar Bears saw three individuals earn All-OAC honors.
Freshman Matt Molinaro won the OAC Championship in the 800-meter run, winning the event in 1:55.33. Freshman Conner Karg and senior Phil Farwig also received All-OAC honors.
Karg competed in the 400-meter dash, finishing third in 50.38 seconds. Farwig earned All-OAC accolades in the shot put, also claiming a 3rd place finish with a pitch of 49'02.25".
During the indoor season, Northern saw three school records fall. Senior Nathan Rosenbaum set a new school record in the 5,000-meter with a time of 14:58.83. Also setting new school records were freshman Matt Craven in the 60-meter hurdles in :08.66 and sophomore Lucas Shumate in the weight throw, with a pitch of 58'2".
Northern opened the outdoor season at the unscored Washington & Lee (Va.) Carnival.
The Polar Bears then won the 13-team Cedarville Invitational. ONU continued its success on the road, winning the 12-team Ohio Wesleyan Invitational and finishing third of 19 teams at the All-Ohio Championships.
ONU then returned home to Kerscher Stadium where the Polar Bear Invitational. Northern finished second out of 12 teams.
The Polar Bears then competed in the OAC Outdoor Championships, where they garnered a second place finish.
Northern saw ten individuals and two relay teams win All-OAC accolades outdoors.
Molinaro, Arkin, Rosenbaum, and sophomore Kase Schalois, were all OAC Outdoor Champions.
Molinaro, the OAC Outstanding Distance Runner of the Year, won the 800-meter in 1:55.38, as well as the 1,500-meter run in 3:56.82.
Rosenbaum and Arkin claimed their second consecutive OAC titles. Rosenbaum won the 10,000-meter run in 31:24.99 and Arkin the javelin with an NCAA qualifying pitch of 202'0".
Schalois earned his first OAC Championship, winning the 3,000 steeplechase in 9:31.46.
Molinaro also teamed up with sophomore Andrew Harden, sophomore Ian McKee, and senior Kyle Wagner to win the 4x800 meter relay in 7:47.32.
Farwig, sophomore Lucas Shumate, sophomore Aaren Hemmelgarn, junior Christian Rupe, junior Robbie Brinkman, and freshman Brandon Emert also claimed top three finishes and OAC honors.
Hemmelgarn, Emert, and Shumate all claimed second place finishes. Hemmelgarn finished second in the 5,000-meter run in 15:08.85, Emert in the 400-meter hurdles in :54.96, and Shumate in the hammer with a pitch of 181'3".
In the shot put, Farwig finished third with a throw of 46'9.50". Rupe, Brinkman, and Shumate also claimed third place finishes in their respective events.
Rupe finished third in the 100-meter dash in :10.94, Brinkman the 110-meter hurdles in :15.49, and Shumate was third in the discus with a throw of 150'05".
The 4x100 meter relay team of junior DeNorris Turner, senior Jonathan Roseler, Rupe, and junior Jojuan Fisher also finished third in :42.50.
The Polar Bears saw Arkin qualify for the NCAA III Championships in the javelin, where he earned All-American honors, finishing seventh with a toss of 201'1".