Led by junior Juli Accurso, the Ohio track and field team has been setting several different records during the indoor season.
After the Mid-American Conference’s Indoor Track and Field Championships, the Bobcats broke even more records.
On the first day of the MAC Championships, the Ohio distance medley relay runners rewrote the program's record books with a school-record time Friday at Bowen Fieldhouse.
Juniors Melissa Thompson and Accurso, and pair of seniors Kiley Mathews and Danielle Winningham helped break the program record by seven seconds (11:33.39 minutes).This time also gave the quartet the 24th fastest time in the country this season. Accurso ousted others with a time of 11:26.80 minutes.
This year was the third consecutive year in which the distance medley relay team won an indoor title.
“Obviously we were satisfied with the outcome of the DMR,” Coach Clay Calkins said. “They set a new MAC record and a new school record, it was just a great overall performance, and we couldn’t ask for anything more.”
On day two, Thompson and Accurso kept Ohio’s confidence going as both runners had tremendous finishes in their individual events.
In the one mile run, Thompson set a personal-best time of 4:48.22, which also set a new school record in the event, breaking Accurso’s time of 4:48.32 in last season's Indoor Championships. Thompson’s time remains the fastest time in the MAC during this season.
Accurso improved her outstanding personal record book, as she ran the 3,000-meter in 9:36.43 minutes to win the event. Like Thompson and Accurso, the distance medley relay team was chosen for the women’s All-MAC first team.
The conference’s acknowledgment of the four girls on the Bobcats’ squad will help boost the team’s confidence as it moves forward, Calkins said.
“Moving into the outdoor season, (All-MAC honors) sets them up,” said Calkins. “They’re moving into the right direction physically, and this helps them move into the right direction mentally as well. It sets the mood for the outdoor season. We’re always a better outdoor team.”
ab109410@ohiou.edu
