Men’s Indoor Track & Field team takes 4th at OAC Championships
By Bud Denega
MARIETTA — Sophomore Nate Dean (Euclid/Villa Angela Saint Joseph) and junior Sam Krabacher (Hamilton/Badin) paced the Ohio Northern men's indoor track and field team Saturday during the final day of the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships inside Dyson Baudo Recreation Center. Dean took second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.09 — a new school record — and Krabacher crossed second in the 800-meter run, boasting a time of 1:59.53.
Northern finished fourth as a team, tallying 76 points, improving its record to 54-11 overall. Mount Union claimed first with 214 points, while John Carroll and Ohio Northern rounded out the top three with 148 and 136 points, respectively.
Sophomore Andrew Buderer (Oak Harbor) joined Dean and Krabacher, as All-OAC honorees. Buderer won the pole vault Friday, and Dean also logged a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash Friday.
Senior Andrew Shelton (Williamsville, N.Y./South) wasn't far behind Krabacher in the 800. Shelton crossed fourth with a time of 1:59.90.
ONU's distance crew also littered the top 10 in the 3,000-meter run. Freshman Billy Driemeyer (House Springs, Mo./Lindbergh) placed fifth, clocking in at 8:48.63, while junior Travis Sutter (Fort Recovery) and sophomore Patrick Baker (Massillon/Jackson) took sixth and eighth, respectively, with times of 8:51.94 and 8:56.19.
The 1,600-meter relay team — of freshman Hunter Kesler (Oakwood/Paulding), junior Colin McCullough (Galion), sophomore Alan Dravenstott (Medina) and Krabacher — crossed fifth, clocking in at 3:30.93.
Junior Owen Lloyd (Colfax, Ind./Clinton Prairie) placed fifth in the high jump, clearing 1.88 meters
The 800-meter relay team — of freshman Vini Sousa (Spencerville), McCullough, freshman Selorm Adehe (Grove City/Central Crossing), and freshman Brandon Berry ( Wickliffe) — took sixth, recording a time of 1:34.27.
Freshman Zach Adkins (Enon/Greenon) took ninth in triple jump with a leap of 12.28 meters, and junior Jordan Green (Wooster) rounded out ONU's top-10 finishers, taking 10th in the 1-mile run with a time of 4:39.18.
Northern finishes the regular season at the Polar Bear Final Qualifier Saturday.