Women open 2016 Indoor Track & Field season with victory at 5-team OAC Split Meet

By Tim Glon

ALLIANCE — The Ohio Northern women broke two school records and opened the 2016 indoor track and field season with a victory at the 5-team Ohio Athletic Conference Split Meet Friday night at Mount Union's Peterson Fieldhouse.

The Polar Bears (4-0 overall) won the meet with 165 points. Mount Union was second with 157 points, Baldwin Wallace was third with 94 points, John Carroll was fourth with 91 points and Heidelberg was fifth with 63 points.

Junior Dianna Johnson-Ward and sophomore Emily Richards each set school records on the night.

Johnson-Ward led a 1-2-3 Polar Bear finish in the triple jump with a school record leap of 36' 4.25". She beat the previous record of 36' 1.25" set last season by Gabrielle Metzner.

Richards won the 500-meter run in a school record 1:17.26, breaking the mark of 1:17.80 set in 2009 by Joy Kessler.

Freshman Maddie Reed won the pole vault by clearing 11' 3", which is the third-best effort in school history and an ONU freshman record.

Senior Rebekah McCutchen won the 1000 in 3:11.32 and junior Meagan Ellinger won the 400 dash in 1:01.91.

The distance medley team of junior Nicole Huber, freshman Avery Ewing, Richards and McCutchen won in 12:59.01.

Freshman Tia Harris finished third in the shot put with a toss of 38' 3.5", which is the seventh-best effort in school history.

Stephanie Walton was part an impressive group of Polar Bears in the long jump, posting an ONU freshman record jump of 17' .75".

In all, five ONU athletes jumped 17' or further, led by junior Kelsey Commager, Johnson-Ward and junior Rebecca Carman who all jumped 17' 1.25".

"The team win on the women's side is a really big step for our program," ONU head coach Jason Maus said. "Its been a long time since we've won this meet, so this is a big confidence builder for us. We set two school records and had five women over 17' in the long jump. There have only been 11 women in school history jump over 17' and five of them did it tonight!"

The Polar Bears will return to action next Saturday at the Grand Valley State (Mich.) Invitational.