Distance runners will try to beat an Ohio school record and hold their own relay title at Saturday’s Doug Raymond Invitational at Kent State.
Sophomore Juli Accurso hopes to break the school record for the 1,000-meter run. Ohio’s record book does not have an official best time listed for the event, but Accurso’s best time in the 1k is 2 minutes, 58.71 seconds. That time is the best for a Bobcat in at least three years.
Last year, the Bobcats’ distance relay medley won the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championship and broke the school record with a time of 11 minutes, 43.41 seconds. Two members of the relay team, Accurso and sophomore Melissa Thompson, return to run the event to represent the record-setting team from last year. Senior Hope McCarty will join the lineup, and senior Brittany Tyree likely will be the fourth runner if she is not hampered by tendinitis.
“We’ve kind of changed the lineup with two different people, so we’re really excited to see what this group of individuals can do,” Thompson said. “Obviously, we’re going for that MAC title again, and we’re going to keep knocking down the school record.”
Because of Tyree’s injury problems, Kara Jackson or Kiley Mathews might take her place. Emily Pifer, who was recently named Mid-American Conference Female Scholar Athlete of the Week, will not run this weekend.
Coach Clay Calkins said he is looking for higher marks in the field events, including in high jump with Tyree reaching for a mark of 5 feet, 4 inches. Freshman Chanda Cuckler is going for 5 feet, 7 inches in the high jump as well. Calkins said the team struggled with the pole vault last weekend. Because of the weather, Ohio had only three days to practice the event outdoors.
He said improvement in the pole vault was another team goal for the meet.
“The goals are pretty cut and dry. You’re looking at a direct time or a direct mark in a field event, so you have a standard to hit,” Calkins said. “There really is no gray area. You’re either doing better or worse than a previous meet.”
Compared to last week’s Buckeye Classic, the meet will take place on a longer track. The competition includes opponents such as Kentucky State, Dayton, Virginia State, Tiffin, Robert Morris, Seton Hill, Xavier, and MAC teams Buffalo and Kent State.
“There are some very good teams, so this will give us a chance to see where we stand and whether we need to look at individual events versus keeping the relay together,” distance coach Mitch Bentley said.
nb155607@ohiou.edu
