The Ohio men's and women's indoor track and field teams concluded the regular season Saturday at the Scarlet and Gray Invitational at Ohio State.
"We did pretty well, and it was a good meet to finish up the season," Ohio coach Elmore Banton said. "We picked up a few more qualifiers for the (Mid-American Conference Championship) meet and had some people really improve their performances. This has been the best season in about three years."
The non-scored meet provided team members a final chance to qualify for next weekend's MAC Championship.
"The more people we have qualified, the more of an opportunity we have to score points and do well as a team at MACs," Ohio hurdler/jumper Foli James said. "It was good that we could get more people in this weekend."
On the women's side, James set a school record of 8.01 seconds in the 55-meter dash. She placed third in the event and earned second in the high jump with a height of 5 feet 5 inches. She already had qualified in both events.
Sprinter Kerra Brown improved her time in the 400 to 58.92, a second-place finish that earned qualification for the conference championship.
The men's team had fewer top-five finishes than the women, but several athletes improved their performances from past weeks.
Middle distance runner Bob Wayner cut his time in the 3000 to qualify for the MAC Championship, finishing sixth with a time of 8:49.12. Thrower Eric Bildstein, who already had qualified in the weight throw, improved his throw by 3 feet, although his distance of 56 feet only earned him ninth place.
"The competition in that event was unbelievable," Banton said. "Eric usually improves by a foot each week, so improving by that much this week was outstanding. If he can duplicate that next week, he can pick up some points at the MAC meet."
Middle distance runner Patrick Harvey and hurdler/sprinter Byron Gibson earned the men team's top finishes, finishing fourth in the 800 and 60, respectively. Gibson's eighth-place finish of 7.92 seconds in the 55-meter hurdles was converted to a 60-meter hurdle time that was enough to qualify for the conference meet. The meet only holds the 60-meter hurdles event.
'We have been getting better every meet, so hopefully it can all come together for the MAC meet," Harvey said. "I think both the men's and women's teams are going to surprise everyone at the MAC."
The MAC Championship meet is Friday and Saturday at Kent State for those who have qualified. Starting times are to be announced.
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Laurel Scheffel
