Findlay in Top-25 Heading into GLIAC Championship
Findlay, OH – In the eighth week of the USTFCCCA rankings, the University of Findlay men's and women's track and field team each find themselves in the top-25 national rankings. The women held steady at last week's ranking of tenth in the country while the men fell four spots to 25th. The GLIAC men and women combined to have nine teams ranked in the top-25, the most of any DII 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 good for fifth 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.
This past weekend, at the Penn Relays, Sanmiquel posted the 13th time in the nation in the 400 meter hurdles as she raced to a time of 1:00.75, a season-best.
Men
After falling out of the top-25 three weeks ago, the men have been in rankings for the past three 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". He is also ranked 13th in the nation in the long jump, a jump of 24'6.25" at the Raleigh Relays.
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", seventh in the country.
Both teams are in action this week at the GLIAC Track and Field Championships in Big Rapids, MI.