After hosting its first meet of the season last weekend, Ohio will hit the road again to participate in the All-Ohio Championships in Cincinnati this weekend.
However, a few of the Bobcats might consider this weekend’s meet a “home” meet, as they are returning to their hometown when Ohio goes up against Akron, Cedarville, Rio Grande, Cincinnati, Miami, Wright State, Dayton, Bowling Green, Tiffin, Shawnee State, Ashland, Findlay and Ohio Dominican.
Sophomores Erika Armstead and Gabriella Kain, both Cincinnati natives, get an opportunity to perform in front of their friends and family.
Armstead, who recorded a top 10 performance last weekend in the women’s long jump, is looking to continue jumping her way to the top of the leaderboard. With some family and friend support, she could potentially do it.
Also looking to keep her hot streak rolling is junior Donyelle Brown. She broke a personal record that will certainly get her the program record.
Brown placed first and second in the hammer throw and shotput, respectively.
Also producing some solid numbers for the Bobcats is sophomore Ashlee Bilhimer. She placed second in the javelin throw at home last Saturday and looks to hopefully break a personal record on her road to the Mid-American Outdoor Championships.
“(Brown and Bilhimer) have responded to a high level of competition, but Cincinnati has great throws too, so this weekend will be interesting,” coach Clay Calkins said. “We hope for both of them to set some personal bests this weekend. Donyelle Brown is getting farther and farther with her hammer throw and Ashlee is becoming a force in the (javelin toss).”
Junior Chanda Cuckler performed well after missing a few weeks this outdoor season. Hopefully she can continue to improve and keep the positive streak.
Another Bobcat that wants to keep the momentum going is sophomore Krista Roehlig.
Coming off a first place finish and her first collegiate win at the Ohio Cherry Blossom Invitational, we’ll see how impressive Roehlig will be against other competition around the state.
Another distance runner to keep your eye out for is senior Melissa Thompson.
Thompson, who said she was coming off of a minor injury going into last weekend, showed no signs of pain, claiming third place and a MAC automatic qualifying time.
She accomplished her goal and hopefully looks to continue to get better.
“The Distance is systematic in their training regimen,” Calkins said. “As long as we can avoid injury, their times will come down.”
For some it’s home, and for others it’s another meet on the road. Even though the Bobcats don’t see another home meet until the first weekend in May, the All-Ohio Championships will bring some of the best competition around the state.
Hopefully the Bobcats use last weekend’s performance as a team goal and represent the green and white well in Cincinnati.
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