Oilers in Top-25 Heading Into National Championship Meet
Findlay, OH – The University of Findlay men's and women's track teams both find themselves in the top 25 in the U.S. Track and Field Coaches Association poll heading into the National Championship meet which takes place on March 11-12 in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Men
The men, who finished as the national runner-up in last year's indoor and outdoor seasons, find themselves ranked 20th in the nation, four spots up from last week's 24th ranking, and ranked sixth in the Midwest region.
Sophomore Michael Bruce will head to the National Championship meet to compete in the long jump and triple jump. Bruce has the second-best distance in the country in the triple jump with his Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) winning distance of 51'3.5". Bruce qualified in the long jump with the 18th-best jump in the country, a 24'1.00" leap at the Armory Track Invitational on Feb. 5. He was named all-American in both events last season.
Sophomore Sergi Torres, juniors Derek Collins and Maliik Briggs, and freshman George Effah qualified for the meet after posting a 4x400 time that ranks 13th in the country, a 3:13.94 at the Ohio State University Invitational on Feb. 19. Torres as an individual holds the 12th fastest time in the country in the 400 meter dash with his time of 47.77 set at the GVSU Big Meet on Feb. 12.
Freshman Austin Combs is currently ranked 16th in the country in the weight throw with a throw of 60'0.5" which he achieved at the Kent State Tune Up on Feb. 20.
Also earning a national ranking in a throwing event is junior Ben Hahler who is ranked ninth in the shot put with his GLIAC Championship Meet throw that measure 57'10.25".
Rounding out the national rankings for the men is high-jumper, sophomore Trey Everett who has the 12th-ranked jump this year in NCAA DII, a 6'10.75" leap at the Ohio State University Invitational on Feb. 19. Everett finished third at last year's NCAA Division III National Championship meet.
Women
The Oilers women, who sent will send six athletes to the nation championship meet, are ranked fifteenth in the country in the pre-championship rankings and are the fifth-ranked team in the Midwest region.
Senior Lydia Guagenti headlines the women's team as her high jump of 5'8.75" at the GLIAC Championship meet in Feb. 27 is the second-best jump in the country this season. She finished runner-up at the national championship meet last season. Guagenti's other national ranking comes in the pentathlon where she is ranked 11th with her 3,730 point performance, also from the GLIAC Championship meet.
Sophomore Alex DeVincentis is a top-ten performer in the shot put as she is ranked seventh in the country with a throw of 50'0.00", turned in at the Ohio State University Invitational on Feb. 19. Freshman Holly Averesch, who earned GLIAC Freshman Field Athlete of the Year, will also participate in the shot put as she is ranked 11th following her throw of 47'8.5" at the GLIAC Championship on Feb. 27.
Juniors Erica King and Liz Streacker are ranked 12th and 16th in the country in the weight throw with throws of 60'10.5" and 59'9.0", respectively. Each of those tosses came at the GLIAC Championship meet.
Senior Samantha Grippe is ranked 11th in the 800 meter run heading into the final week with her time of 2:10.35 that she achieved at the GVSU Big Meet on Feb. 12.
Portions of the NCAA Division II National Championship will be streamed live at NCAA.com.