Mount Union leads team standings through one day at 2019 OAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships

Mount Union leads team standings through one day at 2019 OAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships
February 22, 2019

By Blake Moore

ADA — After one day at the 2019 Ohio Athletic Conference Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships, the Mount Union Purple Raiders lead the ten-team meet with 50.5 points through five contested events at the ONU Sports Center Fieldhouse.

Ohio Northern currently stands second with 35 team points, and Otterbein rounds out the top-three programs with 34.5 points.

The Purple Raiders claimed just one individual event title on Friday, but managed five top-three performances to guide the first-day effort. In the long jump competition, sophomore Alexianna Johnson and junior Daijana Johnson went 1-2 with 5.54-meter (18' 2.25") and 5.48-meter (17' 11.75") leaps, respectively.

Otterbein senior Claire Lamb and the 4,000-meter distance medley relay squad of Heather Sandvik, Sarah Bedell, Gina Kowalewicz, and Katy Foltz each registered victories on Friday. Lamb broke the OAC meet record in the 5,000-meter run and bested the 21-competitor field with a 17:13.37 finish. The DMR quartet clocked in at 12:19.78, crossing the tape 17 seconds faster than the second-place team.

Meanwhile, Ohio Northern juniors Maggie Krause and Allison Stevens ended first and second in the women's pole vault, respectively. Krause secured her first OAC individual event title with a 3.77-meter clearance (12' 4.5"). Stevens tied with Mount Union freshman Bri Aveni with 3.47-meter vaults (11' 4.5"), but the former broke the tie with fewer misses.

Baldwin Wallace junior Brooke Buckhannon brought home the final OAC title, winning the weight throw competition with a 16.39-meter toss (53' 9.25").

Action resumes tomorrow morning with field events beginning at 10 a.m. inside the ONU Sports Center Fieldhouse. Running event finals will begin at approximately 2 p.m.

Team Standings (Thru Day 1):

1. Mount Union 50.5, 2. Ohio Northern 35, 3. Otterbein 34.5, 4. Baldwin Wallace 33, 5. John Carroll 22, 6. Capital 9, 7. Marietta 7, 8. Wilmington 3, 9. Muskingum 1