Women’s Indoor Track and Field places 6th at All-Ohio Championships
By Wes Mayberry
WESTERVILLE — The Ohio Northern women's track and field team placed sixth of 16 teams at Saturday's All-Ohio Division III Championships at Otterbein University.
"We did a great job today," ONU head coach Jason Maus said. "We had several great performances and season-bests. We were missing a few key athletes, but the ones who were here today really stepped up."
The Polar Bears (19-5) finished with 40 points. Mount Union won the meet with 187 points. Oberlin finished second with 82.5 points, Otterbein was third with 61 points, Ohio Wesleyan was fourth with 50 points, and Baldwin Wallace was fifth with 45 points.
Senior Rue Whitmore (Mason) led the Polar Bears with a second-place finish in the 5,000 meters, running a time of 18:49.64.
Junior Anna Schatzle (Brookville, Ind./Franklin County) finished third in the pole vault with a high vault of 3.49 meters.
Sophomore Megan Vapenik (Strongsville) added a fourth-place finish in the 5,000 meters, running a time of 19:09.21.
Freshman Ashley Hockstock (Westerville/Central) finished fifth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 19:23.53, giving ONU three runners in the top five of that event.
Senior Taylor Ellerbrock (Columbus Grove) placed sixth in the 1-mile run with a time of 5:26.00, and senior Mackenzie Detmer (Liberty Center) added a sixth-place finish in the triple jump with a distance of 10.01 meters.
Junior Cienna Kuhn (Elida) and sophomore Olivia Ogg (Hebron/Lakewood) tied for sixth in the pole vault with a height of 3.29 meters.
Sophomore Allie Starner (Wellington) placed seventh in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of :09.55, and freshman Toria Ingalls (Tiffin/Columbian) added a seventh-place finish in the high jump with a height of 1.55 meters.
ONU's 4x200 relay team of Starner, Schatzle, sophomore Rosie Schroeder (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and freshman Kendra Kirchbaum (Ashland) placed seventh, running a time of 1:51.36.
Select Ohio Northern student-athletes also competed at the Grand Valley State (Mich.) Big Meet and the Baldwin Wallace Mid-February Meet on Friday.
Senior Tessa Pitcovich (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) competed in the 5,000 meters at Grand Valley State, placing 14th of 32 and running a personal-best time of 17:46.30, which ranks third all-time at ONU.
Freshman Jaclyn Boardman (Franklin, Ind./Community) led the way for ONU at Baldwin Wallace, placing second in the pole vault with a height of 3.05 meters.
Freshman Izzy Burman (Benton Ridge/Liberty Benton) added a sixth-place finish in the shot put (10.83 meters) and a seventh-place finish in the weight throw (12.45 meters).
The Polar Bears return to action on Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Wittenberg Invitational.
