Krause, Ewing lead Women's Outdoor Track & Field at Gregory Invitational
By Blake Moore
NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Junior All-American Maggie Krause (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) and senior Avery Ewing (Kokomo, Ind./Eastern) both recorded season-best marks at the two-day Gregory Invitational, leading the Ohio Northern women's track and field squad at North Central (Ill.).
The meet, which served as an official last chance qualifier for the 2019 NCAA Division III Championships, was not scored.
Krause helped guide the Polar Bear performances with a season-best mark in the pole vault competition. The All-American cleared 3.88 meters (12' 8.75") to tie her career-best effort and end second in a 21-person field.
With her performance, Krause moved up to seventh on the NCAA Division III performance list, pending other results from around the country on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Ewing posted a career-best 2:13.47 in the 800-meter run Thursday evening. After finishing the opening lap in sixth place, the senior rallied to end third in a strong 23-person event.
The effort moved Ewing into 21st on the NCAA Division III performance list to leap nearly thirty spots on the national leaderboard, pending other results from across the country.
Senior thrower Tia Harris (Newton Falls) competed in both the shot put and hammer throw competitions over the two-day event. She heaved the shot 12.82 meters (42' 0.75") to claim a fourth-place finish Thursday afternoon and launched the hammer 43.89 meters (144' 0") on Wednesday to end 11th in an 18-person field.
In the high jump, senior Mallory Weininger (Upper Sandusky) leaped over the bar at 1.53 meters (5' 0.25") to cap her senior season. The Upper Sandusky product tied for seventh with Carthage's (Wis.) Aubrey Tesch in an 11-person competition.
Junior Allison Stevens (Naperville, Ill./Central) ended ninth in the pole vault field with a 3.53-meter (11' 7") clearance.
Senior Taylor Fisher (Wapakoneta) rounded out the Ohio Northern performances, finishing 11th in the 400-meter hurdles with a 1:09.15 clocking.
The Ohio Northern track and field programs will now await the release of the official NCAA Division III National Championship qualifying list. The top 22 women in each event will earn the right to compete at the 2019 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships from May 23-25 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.