Oilers Each Fall One Spot
Findlay, OH – In week seven of the USTFCCCA rankings, the University of Findlay men's and women's track and field team each dropped one spot in the top-25 national rankings. The women slipped to tenth in the country while the men fell one spot to 21st. Along with these national rankings, the Oilers women remain second in the Midwest region while the men held steady at eighth. In the men's and women's top-25 rankings, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has a combined seven teams, the most of any Division II conference in the country.
Women
Junior Erica King had a great performance at the Border Battle in Hillsdale, MI on April 16 and is still the only female Oilers' track and field athlete to have an automatic bid to the national championship meet in May. She set a new personal record in the hammer throw with a heave of 196'3". King's throw took first place in the event and gives her the second-best throw in the nation this season. Not far behind in the hammer throw is junior Liz Streacker whose top performance was a distance of 189'4" at the All-Ohio Championships. That throw is now seventh best in the country this year.
Senior Lydia Guagenti's performance at the Raleigh Relays is still her best this season in the high jump as she reached a height of 5'8.75", which is still the second-best jump in the country this season and one inch shy of her personal best.
Sophomore Alex DeVincentis' shot put performance at the Wake Forest Open on March 18 is still good for fourth in the country. That heave measured 49'10.5". DeVincentis added to her stellar 2016 season with her performance at the All-Ohio Championships on April 8. In the discus, the Oilers' sophomore threw a distance of 162'4", the fourth best throw in Division II this season and also a personal record.
Still a top time in the country in the 4x100 relay is the team of freshman Symphony Cooke, senior Maud Sanmiquel, sophomore Milani Glass, and freshman Madison Stechshulte. Their time of 46.21 from the Border Battle is good for 11th in the nation in the event. This past week at the Jesse Owens Classic, Sanmiquel ran a time of 13.91 in the 100 hurdles, the 11th best time in the country.
Men
After falling out of the top-25 two weeks ago, the men have been in rankings for the past two weeks.
Senior Michael Bruce is still ranked second in the country in the triple jump from his performance at the Raleigh Relays on March 25. That jump measured 51'7.75".
Junior Trey Everett is another top-five performer this year as his high jump mark of 6'11", from the Border Battle in Hillsdale, MI, is still the fourth best in the country this season.
Junior Ben Hahler also had a great performance at the Border Battle, turning in a throw in the shot put that distanced 58'8.5", the fifth best in the country.
Both teams will head to multiple locations this weekend with athletes competing at the Ashland Open in Ashland, OH and others competing at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, PA. Both meets will run Friday and Saturday, April 29-30.