Two Ohio distance runners won their races in the first indoor track meet of the season, and many other Bobcats placed in the top 10 of their respective events.
Ohio opened the season at the Buckeye Classic Friday in French Field House against teams including the defending Big Ten champion, Ohio State.
The meet was a solid start to the Bobcats’ season, with sophomore distance runners Juli Accurso and Emily Pifer winning the mile and the 3,000-meter events, respectfully.
Accurso crossed the finish line at 5 minutes, 0.28 seconds. Melissa Thompson (3rd), Ashley Waddington (6th), Hope McCarty (7th) and Emily Skidmore (8th) also finished in the top 10 in the mile for the Bobcats.
Pifer led the pack in the 3k at a time of 10:16.35, along with freshman Morgan Reichert placing third, and seniors Abbie Selhorst and Hannah Charbel taking fifth and seventh, respectfully.
In the high jump, Chanda Cuckler cleared the bar at 1.62 meters for second place, and Donyelle Brown placed second in the shot put with a throw of 12.95 meters. Both are freshmen competing in their first collegiate events.
Senior Brittany Tyree finished fourth in the high jump, while junior Kristen Mason and freshman Janiece Rose placed fourth and eighth in the shot put, respectively.
Mason led the Bobcats at fourth in the weight throw with a toss of 16.04 meters and three of her teammates placed sixth through eighth.
“It was a good opener for us just getting back to school,” coach Clay Calkins said. “We’re hoping for some improvements next week.”
Next up is the Doug Raymond Invitational at Kent State Saturday. Calkins said the team is looking for better times because Kent State’s track is 300 meters long while Ohio State’s is 200 meters.
nb155607@ohiou.edu
