USTFCCCA All-Region Awards Announced
Findlay, Ohio – U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) recently released their 2021 NCAA Division II All-Region list for the outdoor track and field season. The University of Findlay had nine men on the list while the women had five. Awards were given to the top five individuals in each event from each region.
Senior Austin Combs, a two-time outdoor all-American, earned all-region status in both the hammer and discus. Combs holds the top spot in the region and is second in the country in the hammer throw with a distance of 70.09m (229'11") that earned him the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) title three weeks ago. Combs also ranks fourth in the region and 11th in the country in the discus. His top effort this season came at the Grand Valley State Al Owens Classic back on April 16, a throw of 54.31m (178'2"). Combs will compete at nationals in both events.
Junior Sterling Mungro, this year's indoor weight throw national champion, earned all-region in the hammer throw and is headed to the national championship this week alongside Combs. Mungro is third in the region in the hammer throw with a season-best distance of 67.99m (223'1") which he set at the Hillsdale Last-Chance Classic on May 13. Mungro enters the national championship ranked fifth in the country in that event.
Also earning multiple all-region awards is sophomore Xavier Marable who picks up the honor in both the 400m and the 4x100m. Marable is fifth in the 400m after posting a time of 47.17 at GVSU's Al Owens Classic. Also a member of the 4x100m relay team, Marable, along with freshman Michael Nichols, sophomore Ethan Pensante, and freshman Isaac Webb, pick up all-region honors as they are ranked second in the region after a season-best 40.76 at the Lee University Last Chance meet on May 15.
Junior Martin Etsey earns all-region by being third in the region in the triple jump this season with a 15.06m (49'5"), a runner-up jump at the G-MAC Championship on May 5. Freshman Keandre Marlow earns the award by being ranked fourth in the decathlon with a top performance of 6461 points at Hillsdale on April 10. Rounding out the Oilers all-region winners is freshman Alex Mutchler who ended the year ranked fourth in the Midwest in the pole vault with a height of 5.03m (16'6") which placed him third at the G-MAC Championship on May 5.
On the women's side, five athletes earned all-Midwest Region status, three of which are pole vaulters.
Senior Savannah Amato is tops in the region in the pole vault as she reached a school and conference record height of 4.23m (13'10.5") at the G-MAC Championship. She heads into the national championship meet ranked fifth in the country, less than five inches shy of DII's top mark this season.
Also earning all-region and heading to the DII Championship are the freshman duo of Morgan England and Lindsey Kluesener, ranked third and fourth in the Midwest this season, respectively. England's top mark this outdoor season was a height of 4.13m (13'6.5") which she set at the G-MAC meet while Kluesener reached a height of 4.06m (13'3.75") at Hillsdale on May 13. England is currently eighth in the country while Kluesener is 12th.
Standout freshman Paige Emnett, already a multiple time G-MAC Champion, has earned all-region in the discus throw as she is currently ranked fourth in the Midwest with a toss of 47.45m (155'8"). Sophomore Hayley Robinett rounds out the Oilers all-region recipients as she ended the year third in the region in the 800m run with a season-best performance of 2:12.43 at the G-MAC Championship.