Track and Field Poised for Big Weekend at G-MAC Championship
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay men's and women's track and field team will be traveling to Cedarville, Ohio for the 2021 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Indoor Track and Field Championship that will take place on Friday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, Feb. 27 in Doden Field House on the campus of Cedarville, University. Both the men's and women's teams enter the event ranked nationally, the men ranked 11th in the country and the women ranked 20th in the country.
The official conference championships page including clickable links for the schedule of events, heat sheets, live results, record books and photo galleries, can be viewed here.
Due to COVID-19 institutional protocol, fans are not permitted to attend this year's championships. The event will be streamed in its entirety on the Great Midwest Digital Network and can be viewed online or through apps available through Apple TV, AmazonFire TV, Android TV and Roku by searching for the keywords "Great Midwest."
Men
The Oilers have quite a few athletes to keep an eye on, headlined by two-time G-MAC Track Athlete of the Year, Xavier Marable. Marable enters the weekend with the league's top time in the 400m run, an event in which he is a two-time all-American and holds eight of the top ten times in conference history. The Clayton, Ohio native's top time this year is a 47.48, but he does hold the Findlay and G-MAC record with a time of 46.91 which he ran last season. Marable is also looking to score points for the Oilers in the 200m where his 21.82 this season ranks third in the conference and also in the 60m sprint where his time of 6.94 ranks fourth.
Another big time performer to watch will be thrower Sterling Mungro who is poised to put on a show this weekend. The Findlay junior, an all-American in the weight throw last season, enters the weekend as the G-MAC record holder in the weight throw, a 21.74m toss from the GVSU Tune-Up last weekend. That throw was the best of Mungro's career and is second-best in the country this season. A four-time G-MAC Athlete of the Week selection this year alone, Mungro has won all seven weight throw competitions in which he has competed this season. The DeSoto, Texas native also looks to score in the shot put where he ranks sixth in the conference with a season-best 16.72m throw, an NCAA provisional distance.
Back on the track, sophomore Josh Verhoff, last year's G-MAC Freshman of the Year and Freshman of the Meet, enters the weekend as the conference's 200m record holder, a 21.50 that he ran at the Oiler Invite earlier this season. That time is tenth in the country this season. Verhoff could also score in the 60m dash where he enters ranked fifth in the conference with a time of 6.98.
A pair of freshman are participating in their first G-MAC Indoor Track and Field Championship and could be big contributors to the Oilers scores. Gabriel Foster comes into the weekend with the top time in the G-MAC in the 800m run this year, a time of 1:52.89 from run last weekend, the third-fastest in G-MAC history. Fellow freshman Noah Fisher burst onto the scene early in the year and looks to score in the 3000 and 5000m runs, both events in which he holds the University of Findlay record.
The Oilers jumps will also be a factor as they will roll out four of the top five high jumpers in the conference including freshman Aaron Cooper who comes in with the G-MAC's top mark this year, a 2.01m leap at the Oiler Invite earlier this season. Sophomore Chris Cooper and senior Emanuel Durden are tied for third with jumps of 2.00m this season while sophomore Cameron Stine has cleared 1.99m, good for fifth in the G-MAC.
In the triple jump, returning all-American Martin Etsey looks to win his second consecutive G-MAC championship in the event and enters the event ranked second in the conference with a provisional distance of 15.27m. Despite entering the weekend ranked second this season, Etsey is the current G-MAC record holder in the triple jump, a 15.66m performance at the Oiler Opener in 2018.
Findlay also will rely on a couple of pole vaulters to score and have two that have reached NCAA provisional status this season. Junior Gabe Makin is fourth in the conference this season with a height of 4.91m while freshman Alex Mutchler is fifth with a height of 4.79m.
Women
On the women's side, one key event to keep an eye on is the pole vault where the Oilers boast three of the top four performers in the conference. At number one is sophomore Morgan England who, just last week, set a new Findlay and G-MAC record in the event, clearing a height of 4.16m, an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championship meet and fourth-best height in the country this season. Close behind England is sophomore Lindsey Kluesener, last year's G-MAC Indoor Conference Champion in the event and a 2020 Indoor all-American. Kluesener ranks eighth in the country and second in the conference with a personal-best of 4.01m this season. Also competing for the title will be junior Meadow Cromer who ranks 15th in the country this season and is fourth in the conference with a height of 3.91.
Sticking with field events, sophomore Simone Green is looking to compete for a pair of individual titles this season as she enters the weekend ranked first in the conference in the triple jump with an 11.73m effort at the Tiffin Dragon Invite earlier this month. Green, a G-MAC Athlete of the Week honoree earlier this season, is also ranked second in the conference in the long jump with a season-best of 5.76m.
Freshman Madison Myers is a contender for a podium position in the triple jump, as well, and is ranked third in the conference with a season-best distance of 10.94m.
Junior Brooke Mangas looks to bring home her first conference title as she competes in the high jump. Mangas is ranked second in the conference this season with an NCAA provisional height of 1.73m that is good for seventh in the country.
In the throwing events, sophomore Paige Emnett will be in the mix for a podium spot as she is ranked fourth in the conference in both the shot put and the weight throw. Emnett's season-best in the shot put is a 13.87m effort, an NCAA provisional throw, while her best in the weight throw is a 16.17m toss from January of this year.
On the track, junior Gabrielle Lawrence is ranked third in the conference in the 5000m run after posting a 17:23.97 at the Oiler Triangular earlier this season. That time is an NCAA provisional. Lawrence is also ranked third in the mile run after posting a 5:04.57 at the Oiler Invite two weeks ago.