By: Ryan Sosic '19
ALLIANCE, Ohio- The Baldwin Wallace University women's outdoor track and field teams traveled to the University of Mount Union to partake in the John Homon Open.
The Yellow Jackets had a strong day in the field, led by junior All-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic All-OAC thrower Brooke Buckhannon (Collins/Western Reserve). Buckhannon finished in first place in the discus throw with a season-best toss of 135 feet, 1 inch while also finishing runner-up with a season-best 157'3" throw in the hammer throw. The junior currently ranks 17th and 16th nationally in the discus and hammer, respectively, at the time of the meet. Freshman thrower Alexzandria Strawbridge (Titusville, Pa./Oil City) posted a career-best 116'2" throw in the javelin, good for a second-place finish.
On the track, sophomore All-OAC distance runner Madison Kile (North Canton/Hoover) won the 800-meter run with a career-best time of 2:19.16. In the 1,500-meter run, junior two-time All-American distance runner Kelly Brennan (Akron/Walsh Jesuit) placed second with a time of 4:40.66. Junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC distance runner Bella Pendola (Warsaw/River View) was right behind her, finishing in 4:47.46 and gaining a fourth place finish. Sophomore distance runner Lizzy Gilreath (Mentor) also posted a career-best time by completing the 10,000-meter run in 41:19.67, good for third place.
After posting the second fastest time of 12.49 seconds in the 100-meter dash prelims, senior All-OAC sprinter Grace Nemeth (Medina) crossed the finish line in third place with a time of 12.52 seconds. In the 200-meter dash, Nemeth ran a career-best 25.62 seconds to cross the finish line as the runner-up.
In relay action, the 4x400-meter team of freshman All-OAC hurdler Amanda Milo (Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy), Nemeth, junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC distance runner Katie Fowler (Mount Vernon) and Brennan finished the event in a time of 4:04.29 to finish as the runners-up.
The Yellow Jackets will be back in action April 13 when they compete in the All-Ohio Outdoor Championships hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University on the George Gauthier Track in Delaware, Ohio.
