Findlay Crowns Four Champs on Day 1 of G-MAC Championship | Both Teams in First
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay men's and women's track and field team are playing host to the 2022 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Indoor Track & Field Championships in the Malcolm Athletic Center on the campus of the University of Findlay. The first day of competition, Friday, Feb. 25, saw nearly 600 athletes from each of the 12 G-MAC institutions descend on campus to participate in the weekends event. After one day of competition, Findlay's men, last year's G-MAC indoor champion, sits in first place with 54 points scored. Tiffin is close behind with 47 points and Ashland is in third with 34. On the women's side, the Oilers, ranked 20th in the country, also lead, scoring 53 points on the first day of competition. Hillsdale is second with 35 points and Cedarville sits in third with 31 points.
Senior Gabrielle Lawrence defended her G-MAC crown in the 5,000-meter run, winning this year's race with a new program record in the event, a time of 17:09.62. That time is also good for an NCAA provisional in the event. The converted time of 17:01.8 gives Lawrence the eighth-best time in the country this season.
In the men's 5,000-meter, the G-MAC's cross-country champion from the fall and 5k champion in outdoor last season is now a champion indoors as Noah Fisher took the 5k indoor crown with a time of 14:43.50, winning the race by less than three seconds. Taking third place to pick up the bronze was freshman Jordan Foster who takes home some hardware after a time of 14:53.14.
Sophomore Simone Green, who has taken her career to another level this season, picked up the gold medal in the women's long jump, winning the title with a distance of 5.81m (19-00.75) which came on her third attempt. That effort was two inches further than teammate Madison Myers who set a career-best with a jump of 5.76m (18-10.75) to earn silver. Both of those leaps were good for NCAA provisional marks in the event. Freshman Kassandra Stine also scored points in that event, placing sixth with a jump of 5.19m (17-00.50).
In men's long jump, Findlay also reigned supreme, taking two of the top three spots. Freshman Chris Campbell stole the show, recording the 12th-best mark in the country this season, a jump of 7.40m (24-3.5) to earn the G-MAC title. That distance meets the NCAA provisional in the event and is the sixth-best jump in conference history. Findlay sophomore Eliot Cummings earned a third place finish, picking up the bronze medal with a jump of 7.08m (23-02.75).
The Oilers men got a runner-up finish in the pole vault from senior Gabe Makin who reached a height of 5.08m (16-08.00), setting a new personal-best. Freshman Alex Mutchler earned some points, as well, just missing the podium with a fourth-place finish, clearing 4.78m (15-08.25), also an NCAA provisional mark.
Findlay's Paige Emnett competed in the women's weight throw and earned the Oilers five points by finishing in fourth in a field that featured some of the top talent in the country. Emnett's best throw came on her final attempt where she recorded a distance of 17.61m (57-09.25).
The night ended with an electrifying distance medley relay. On the men's side, Findlay earned a bronze finish, completing the racing in a provisional time of 10:09.57. That team consisted of Gabriel Foster, Isaac Webb, Joe Sadowski, and Nick DeHaven.
Findlay got an NCAA provisional time in the 400m prelim from junior Xavier Marable who raced to a time of 49.24, the fastest prelim of the day in that event.
The second and final day of competition is tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 26.