Oilers Compete at Hillsdale Winter Opener
Hillsdale, MI – The University of Findlay men's and women's track and field teams competed in their first event since Dec. 12. The Hillsdale Winter Opener took place on Saturday, Jan. 9 and pitted hundreds of athletes from NCAA division I, II, and III, and NAIA schools against each other.
Women
Senior Lydia Guagenti performed well in the high jump as she reach the NCAA provisional height with her leap that measure 5'07.25". Guagenti also participated in the 60 meter hurdles and took sixth with her time of 9.39. Sophomore Milani Glass was able to finish in fourth place in that race with a time of 9.19.
Glass' best event was the long jump where her jump of 17'01.25" was good enough to earn second place.
Chardon, Ohio native Samantha Grippe took third place in the 600 meter run with a time of 1:38.31. The top three runners in this race broke the old facility record. Senior Maud Sanmiqual took fifth in the same event with a 1:41.74.
In the 60 meter dash, freshman Madison Stechshulte qualified for the finals with the fifth-best time of the prelims, a 7.91. In the final she finished seventh with a time of 7.98. Stechschulte also participated in the 200 meter dash where she finished in eighth place with a time of 26.37. Also in the 200 was Sanmiquel. She finished just behind Stechshulte, in ninth with a 26.62.
Sophomore Laura Hernandez took sixth place in the 400 meter dash with a time of 1:01.70.
Throws
Sophomore Alex DeVincentis met the NCAA provisional mark in the shot put with a throw of 49'01.50. This distance was good enough for second place overall and first among collegiate competitors. The winner competed unattached. Freshman Holly Averesch had a good performance as she also met the provisional distance with her fourth place show of 43'11.75". Junior Liz Streacker took seventh with a distance of 41'03.25".There were 29 competitors in this event.
Streacker was the best performer for the Oilers in the weight throw as she took third place. Her distance of 56'06.00" was good enough to meet the provisional distance in the event. DeVincentis (56'05.75") and junior Erica King (55'07.00") finished in fourth and fifth, respectively, and each earned the provisional mark.
Men
The Oilers proved their domination in the 400 meter dash where they took five of the top six spots. Freshman George Effah was the winner of the event as he sprinted to a time of 50.14 while teammate, junior Maliik Briggs took second with a 50.74. Junior Derek Collins was third with a 51.13 and freshman George Bauer's time of 51.78 earned him fourth. Freshman Zach Jellison was the final Findlay runner across the line as he took sixth with a 52.58. Briggs also competed in the 200 meter dash and took eighth with a time of 23.05. There were 35 competitors in the event.
Sophomore Sergi Torres set a new facility record in the 600 meter run as he raced to a time of 1:21.60, good enough for first place. Freshman Troy Schultz's time of 1:26.47 was good enough for eighth.
Sophomore Trey Everett stood out in the high jump competition as he was able to claim the title with his height of 6'06.75".
In the long jump, the Oilers took the top three spots as junior Alexander Zolotoglavyy (23'01.75"), sophomore Michael Bruce (22'10.00"), and Everett (22'08.00") made the podium. Zolotoglavyy's jump was good enough to meet the NCAA provisional. Bruce also competed in the triple jump where he took second with a distance of 45'11.75". Freshman Jordan Davis finished third (40'06.25).
Freshman Jaye Williams sprinted to a 7.13 time in the 60 meter dash. That time was good enough for fourth place in the finals of the event. He qualified for the finals with the second-best time, a 7.08.
Throws
Junior Ben Hahler met the provisional distance in the shot put with his throw that distanced 54'00.50". That toss earned him second place. Senior Parker Schroeder took fifth with a 48'00.75" and freshman Austin Combs took sixth with a 46'09.50". Junior Mitch Adkins finished in seventh with a distance of 46'04.25".
Hahler and Adkins were the top Oilers finishers in weight throw. Hahler finished in fourth place with a 55'07.50" while Adkins took fifth with a 53'09.25". The top three finishers in the even competed for the University of Michigan.
The Oilers will be back on the track when they host the Northwest Ohio Invitational at the Kohler Center on Friday, Jan. 15.