Season Preview: Men's Track & Field looks to contend for OAC titles in 2018
By Caleb Scott
ADA — The Ohio Northern men's track and field team will look to continue to be a force in the Ohio Athletic Conference and challenge for an OAC title in 2018 under the guidance of ninth-year head coach Jason Maus.
Northern enters the 2018 campaign ranked No. 22 nationally in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Div. III Preseason Power Rankings.
ONU was named the runner-up at both the indoor and outdoor OAC Championships and will look to continue to challenge for an OAC title.
Maus and his staff welcome back 19 letter winners in 2018.
"We have a lot of experience coming back and like where we are at early on," said head coach Jason Maus. "Our goals are still the same as they have always been. We want to compete for an OAC title."
Here is a breakdown of the 2018 team, by event category:
Sprints
The sprints group will look to seniors Brandon Emert (Brunswick) and Conner Karg (West Liberty/Salem) to be the leaders in 2018.
Emert is a 2-time All-OAC honoree and a 3-time letterwinner for the Polar Bears, while Karg is a 6-time All-OAC honoree and a 3-time letterwinner.
Sophomore Jared Butcher (Mechanicsburg) will also look to be a key contributor for Northern after a solid freshman campaign and being named All-OAC as a member of the indoor 4x400-meter relay team.
Newcomer and freshman Colin McCullough (Galion) will also look to make an impact early on for ONU.
"I'm very excited about this group," said Maus. "I feel like we have done a really good job filling in some gaps from last year. We are pretty young but the potential is there and I think this group has made some good strides."
Mid-Distance
Senior All-American Matt Molinaro (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle) returns for the Polar Bears and will look to guide the mid-distance group and continue his successful career.
Molinaro is a 13-time OAC Champion, 20-time All-OAC honoree, 10-time All-Great Lakes Region honoree and a 3-time All-American.
The senior was named the outdoor OAC Men's Distance Runner of the Year in 2015 and 2017 and was also dubbed the indoor OAC Men's Distance Runner of the Year in 2016.
Seniors Logan Perry (Sunbury/Big Walnut) and Ian McKee (Medina) and sophomores Riley Lamison (Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area) and Andrew Shelton (Williamsville, N.Y./South) also return in 2017 as letter winners for the Polar Bears.
McKee returns as a 2-time OAC Champion and 5-time All-OAC honoree for Northern.
Freshmen Jordan Green (Wooster), Travis Sutter (Fort Recovery) and Sam Krabacher (Hamilton/Badin) will also look to step into the mix and add depth for Northern.
"Matt has really been such a good competitor for us and should have another solid year," said Maus. "We want to see a bit more from guys like Logan, Ian, Riley and Andrew. Those guys each have some experience under their belts and will need to take on a larger role this season. I'm excited to see how some of the younger guys fit in here. We have some young talent that should put some pressure on the upperclassmen and create a really competitive environment."
Distance
The distance group will again be a strong point for ONU as seniors Bobby Borger (Perrysburg) and Samuel Boyd (Killbuck/West Holmes) and junior Ian McVey (Stow/Munroe Falls) will look to take the lead in 2018.
Also returning for Northern in 2018 after solid 2017 season's are senior Alec Lunney (Middleburg Heights/Berea-Midpark) and junior Spencer Schulze (St. Henry), while senior Aaren Hemmelgarn (Celina/St. Henry) returns after missing last season due to injury.
McVey, an All-American for the ONU cross country team, returns as a 4-time All-OAC honoree, the school record-holder in the indoor 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter run events and a 2-time All-Great Lakes Region honoree.
"Our distance group has been a very strong point for us over the last few years," said Maus. "These guys work really hard and have all had really good fall seasons. We aren't quite as deep as we have been in the past but there has been a lot of growth in this group. Bobby, Sam and Ian will need to really lead this group this season."
Field
In the jumps events, senior Luke Bogdanovich (Akron/Coventry) will look to pace the Polar Bears.
Also looking to make an impact after a solid freshman campaign is sophomore Noah McKee (Powell/Olentangy Liberty).
"Luke and Noah are really going to have to set the standard here for us," said Maus. "We need to see some growth in some of our younger guys. We get senior Alexander Sibila (Zionsville, Ind.) back towards the end of the indoor season which should really help us out."
Graduation again proved to take a toll in 2018 as the throws group lost key contributors from a year ago.
"We are very young in our throws group," Maus said. "The talent is definitely there, but a lot of these guys haven't seen any action yet and we will need to see how it goes. Freshmen Matt Bradshaw (Norton) and Alexander Sube (Wadsworth/Highland) have both looked good and have a chance to step in early and make a quick impact."
Schedule
Northern will open its 2018 campaign on Friday, Jan. 19 as its travels to Berea to compete in the OAC North Split Meet at Baldwin Wallace University.
After the OAC Split meet, the Polar Bears will compete at both the Findlay Classic & Elite Throws meet and the Midwest Track & Field Open, hosted at the SPIRE Institute on Jan. 26-27.
Northern will host its first home meet on Feb. 3, as it hosts the annual Joe Banks Invitational at the ONU Sports Center Fieldhouse.
ONU will compete in the All-Ohio Championships on Feb. 10 in Westerville, before traveling to Gambier to compete in the Kenyon Classic on Feb. 17.
After traveling to Bexley to take part in the OAC Championships on Feb. 23-24, Northern will host the Polar Bear Last Chance Invitational on Mar. 3-4 at the ONU Sports Center Fieldhouse.
The NCAA III Indoor National Championships are slated for Mar. 9-10 in Birmingham, Alabama at the CrossPlex complex.
Northern will open the outdoor season on Mar. 24 as it competes in the Polar Bear Invitational, hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ixnd.
After competing in the Otterbein April Fools Invitational on Mar. 30, ONU will travel to Upland, Ind. to take part in the George Glass Invitational on Apr. 7.
After traveling to Delaware to compete in the All-Ohio Championships on Apr. 14, Northern will host back-to-back meets, including the annual Polar Bear Invitational on Apr. 21 and the Outdoor OAC Championships on Apr. 27-28.
The Polar Bears will also compete in the North Central (Ill.) Keeler Invitational on May 10-11 and the North Central (Ill.) Gregory Invitational on May 16-17.
The NCAA III Outdoor National Championships will take place in LaCrosse, Wis. on May 24-26.