Women’s Indoor Track and Field posts 4 All-OAC finishes on final day as Polar Bears place third at OAC Championships
By Wes Mayberry
ALLIANCE — The Ohio Northern women's indoor track and field team posted four All-OAC finishes on Saturday en route to a third-place finish at the 2022 Ohio Athletic Conference Championships meet at Mount Union's Peterson Field House.
The Polar Bears (26-7) scored 87 points, placing third of 10 teams.
"Third place is a good accomplishment for us," ONU head coach Jason Maus said. "We had some ups and downs, and that's the way this championship meet goes. For us to battle the whole way through and come out third is a big accomplishment and credit to our kids for sure."
No. 14 Mount Union won the team title with 228 points, and John Carroll finished second with 197 points.
Seniors Kayla Silva (Westerville/South) and Tessa Pitcovich (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) and freshmen Chloe Gibson (Ostrander/Buckeye Valley) and Toria Ingalls (Tiffin/Columbian) produced All-Conference finishes for the Polar Bears on Saturday.
Silva finished second in the 60-meter dash, running a time of :07.87, which wasn't far off her school-record time of :07.82. She finished third in the event last season.
Pitcovich placed third in the 3,000 meters, finishing in a time of 10:14.14.
Silva and Pitcovich led the team, finishing the meet with 13.25 and 12 points, respectively.
"That's what you expect out of upperclassmen," Maus said. "With athletes who have been to the conference meet before and have experience on a big stage, you expect them to step up when you need them the most. We got great performances out of both Kayla and Tessa."
Ingalls finished third in the high jump, posting a height of 1.63 meters, and Gibson placed third in the triple jump with a distance of 10.55 meters.
"For two freshmen to earn All-OAC is really exciting," Maus said. "That's really special for a couple of first-year athletes to come through like that for us."
The top three finishers in each event earn All-OAC status, and the top eight score team points.
In addition to their All-OAC performers, the Polar Bears had eight other placers on Saturday.
ONU's 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams both finished fourth.
The 4x200 team of Silva, sophomore Rosie Schroeder (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and freshmen Kendra Krichbaum (Ashland) and Olivia Harger (Sidney) ran a time of 1:48.09.
The 4x400 team of Ingalls, junior Gabrielle Kowalczyk (Marion/Pleasant) and freshmen Rylie Barrington (Waynesfield/Waynesfield-Goshen) and Olyvia Ashbrook (Johnstown/Northridge) ran a time of 4:15.41.
Silva added a fifth-place finish in the 200 meters with a time of :26.34.
Senior Mackenzie Detmer (Liberty Center) finished sixth in the triple jump with a distance of 10.09 meters, and freshman Izzy Burman (Benton Ridge/Liberty Benton) placed sixth in the shot put with a throw of 11.49 meters.
Sophomore Allie Starner (Wellington) placed seventh in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of :09.43.
Ashbrook added a seventh-place finish in the 800 meters, running a time of 2:26.45.
Junior Lexi Neff (Northfield/Walsh Jesuit) rounded out ONU's placers, finishing seventh in the 1,000 meters with a time of 3:12.01.
The Polar Bears return to action on Friday and Saturday as they host the two-day Polar Bear Qualifier in the lead-up to the NCAA Division III Championships.
