Molinaro named OAC Distance Runner of the Year, leads Men's Outdoor Track & Field to third place finish at 2018 OAC Championships
By Caleb Scott
ADA — Senior Matt Molinaro (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle) was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Distance Runner of the Year as he helped guide the ONU men's track and field team to a third place finish at the 2018 OAC Championships at Kerscher Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Mount Union won the team title with 212 points, while John Carroll was second with 162 points and ONU rounded the top three with 95 team points.
The third place finish marks the fifth consecutive season that the Polar Bears have finished in the top-3 at the meet.
Molinaro began his day with a championship run in the 1,500-meter run, winning the event in 3:58.77. Teammate and junior Ian McVey (Stow/Munroe Falls) completed the 1-2 punch in the event, earning All-OAC honors with a second place finish in 3:59.71.
The senior then added a first place finish in the 800-meter run, winning the race in 1:55.91, while teammate and senior Ian McKee (Medina) was eighth in the event in 2:01.61.
McVey finished his day up on a high note, winning the 5,000-meter run in a stadium record time of 15:08.37, while junior Spencer Schulze (St. Henry) was named All-Conference in the event, finishing third in 15:10.88.
Senior Alex Sibila (Zionsville, Ind.) led Ohio Northern in the field events, claiming the OAC title and top honors in the high jump with a leap of 6' 6.25".
Senior Luke Bogdanovich (Akron/Coventry) had a big performance in the triple jump, earning All-Conference honors with a third place finish in the event with a leap of 42' 11".
In the 110-meter hurdles, freshman Owen Lloyd (Colfax, Ind./Clinton Prairie) finished eighth in :15.48, while the team of Lloyd, freshman Herrio Joseph (Lake Worth, Fla./Sanatluces), and sophomores Noah McKee (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) and Sean McGill (Fort Myers, Fla./Dunbar) finished eighth in the 4x100-meter relay in :44.77.
In the 400-meter dash, sophomore Jared Butcher (Mechanicsburg) finished eighth overall in :51.85.
The 4x400-meter relay team of senior Brandon Emert (Brunswick), freshman Gabe Dauch (Norwalk/St. Paul), Molinaro, and Joseph capped off the day with a sixth place finish in the event in 3:25.56.
"The men we really surprising," said head coach Jason Maus. "After a rough start Friday they weren't positioned where they wanted to or thought they would be. These guys were competitive and committed today. We had some huge performances and had a lot of guys step up to fill some holes. The way these guys came together and responded was great and they definitely should be proud of their effort."
The Polar Bears will return to action next week as they travel to North Central (Ill.) to compete in the Keeler Invitational.
