Track Sending 16 to Nationals
The NCAA released the qualifiers for the National Indoor Track Championship on March 1. The Oilers track program will send 16 to the event as ten qualified from the men's team and six more from the women's squad.
On the men's side, sophomore Michael Bruce and sophomore Sergi Torres will both compete in a pair of events to lead the way. Bruce will compete in the long jump and triple jump, and event in which he won a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) title this season. He was named All-American in both events for the Oilers last year as well.
Torres meanwhile will compete in the 400-meter dash and 4x400-meter relay. Torres earned an All-American honor in the 4x400 last year.
Juniors Derek Collins and Maliik Briggs will join freshman George Effah as members of the 4x400 team as well with freshman Zach Jellison serving as the alternate. Collins and Briggs were both a part of the Oilers 4x400 team last year to earn All-American honors during the indoor season.
Freshman Austin Combs qualified in the weight throw while junior Ben Hahler will be there to compete in the shot put.
Sophomore Trey Everett qualified for the championship in the high jump and senior Derek Spindler made the cut in the pole vault.
On the women's side, senior Lydia Guagenti will compete in both the pentathlon and high jump. Guagenti won a GLIAC title in the pentathlon this season and finished as the national runner-up in the high jump last year at the championship to earn All-American honors in the event.
Sophomore Alex DeVincentis will compete in two events for the Oilers as well. She will compete in both the shot put and weight throw. Freshman Holly Averesch, fresh off of being named the GLIAC Freshman Field Athlete of the Year, also qualified for the event and will compete in the shot put while juniors Erica King and Liz Streacker will be there to challenge for All-American status in the weight throw.
Senior Samantha Grippe is headed to nationals as she will be competing in the 800-meter run to round out the competitors for Findlay.
The NCAA Division II National Championship will take place on March 11-12 in Pittsburg, Kansas.