Ohio competed in the Cardinal Invitational, and after another strong week from the throwers and sprinters, some of the girls have put themselves in a good position to qualify for the Mid-American Conference Championship.
At the Cardinal Invitational in Muncie, Indiana, Friday, Ohio ended its meet with several notable finishes including career-bests from freshmen Mya Hodge, Jennifer Fockler and junior Ashlee Bilhimer.
For Bilhimer, she placed first in the javelin throw and continued to show why Ohio’s throwers have been one of the most consistent performers this season.
“The throwers have just been working hard,” coach Clay Calkins said. “Not only in practice but in the weight room as well.”
Aside from Bilhimer’s performance, senior Donyelle Brown finished third in the wood hammer throw. Her teammate, Janiece Rose, placed ninth in the hammer and fifth in the shot put. Brown also competed in the shot put and placed eighth with a 12.96 meter mark — a season best.
Along with the throwers, the sprinters have hit their stride.
Despite battling injuries all season and some shuffling on the coaching end, some inexperienced runners have received the opportunity to step up and fill in a few roster holes.
“The other sprinters have really stepped up,” Calkins said. “Hodge is running our first leg in the 4x100 and has really played an integral role in that position, and they keep taking times off each week.”
Hodge placed eighth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.47 seconds at the Cardinal Invitational, falling behind junior Kristin Winkel — who placed second.
Senior Kara Jackson took third in the 400-meter dash, which was a season best time for her, finishing at 57.46 seconds.
Also in the sprinting events, Fockler and freshman Kaitlyn Logan ran the 800-meter, with Logan finishing fifth and Fockler placing seventh.
Looking ahead, Ohio qualified for the Jesse Owens Invitational, which takes place the first weekend in May. From the Ohio Cherry Blossom Invitation onward, the meets get more competitive and push the girls to really run their hardest.
“Hopefully we can keep progressing as the year moves on,” Calkins said.“That’s the goal each week.”
Shortly after the Jesse Owens Invitational and the Ohio Open, the MAC Championships will take place. In the coming weeks, Calkins hopes his team can continue to compete well and get more girls to qualify for the MAC Tournament.
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