No. 9 Women's Outdoor Track & Field celebrates Senior Day with first place finish at Polar Bear Invite

By Caleb Scott

ADA — The No. 9-ranked Ohio Northern outdoor women's track and field team celebrated it Senior Day with a first place victory at the annual Polar Bear Invitational on Saturday afternoon at Kerscher Stadium.

The Polar Bears improve to 69-4 overall with the first place finish.

Northern recognized seniors Rebecca Carman (Bellefontaine), Kelsey Commager (Maumee), Meagan Ellinger (Bath, Ind./Union County), Allie Gast (Grandville, Mich.), Paige Giessler (Mason/William), Nicole Huber (Findlay), Renee Kraft (Parma/Padua Franciscan), Genevieve Marchese (Beavercreek/Carroll), Elizabeth Martin (Buckland/Wapakoneta), Joanna Messerly (Lancaster/William V. Fisher Catholic), Michelle Mosler (Wapakoneta), Rebecca Olashuk (Defiance/Tinora) and Kendra Paul (Ada).

Huber, Carman, Commager, Paul, Martin and sophomore Maddy Reed (Lucasville/Piketon) each each posted first place finished to lead Northern in the meet.

Huber won the 800-meter run in 2:23.67, while Ellinger finished fifth in the event in 2:26.33.

Ellinger also finished fourth in the 100-meter dash, finishing :12.99.

Carman won the 100-meter hurdles n :15.48 and freshman Melinda McIntosh (Farmersville/Valley View) finished fourth in :16.29.

Commager led a 1-2 punch in the triple jump with a leap of 36' 2.00", while Carman finished second with a jump of 35' 3.25".

Commager also finished third in the long jump, leaping 16' 10.50".

Paul took first place in the javelin for ONU, beating the field by nearly 18 feet, winning the event with a throw of 122' 10.00".

Gast took second place in the event with a toss of 104' 11.00".

Martin claimed the 3,000-meter steeplechase title, winning the event in 13:16.79.

In the pole vault Reed led a 1-2-4 finish as she won the event with a vault of 12' 6.75".

Junior Kelly Wollenslegel (Clyde) finished second in the event with a jump of 11' 8.00", while freshman Maggie Krause (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) took fourth place, clearing 10' 10.25".

In the 400-meter dash, sophomore Avery Ewing (Kokomo, Ind./Eastern) paced a 2-3-4 finish for ONU as she took second place in 1:00.87.

Mosler finished third in the event in 1:01.36, while sophomore Taylor Fisher (Wapakoneta) finished fourth in 1:01.47.

In the 1,500-meter run, freshman Zoe Schilling (East Sparta/Canton Central Catholic) finished fourth in 5:14.33.

In the 400-meter hurdles sophomore Sydney McCluer (Columbus Grove) finished second in 1:11.42, while teammate and McIntosh finished third in 1:12.40.

The 4x400-meter relay team of Huber, Marchese, Ewing and sophomore Michaela Fox (Bellevue) claimed a second place finish in 4:20.67.

Sophomore Tia Harris (Newton Falls) finished fourth in the shot put with a toss of 39' 5.00", while senior took fourth place in the hammer throw with a throw of 145' 6.00".

The Polar Bears return to the track Apr. 28-29 as they compete at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships in New Concord on the campus of Muskingum.