WESTERVILLE, Ohio - The Baldwin Wallace University women's indoor track and field team competed in the All-Ohio Indoor Championships, hosted by Otterbein University in the Clements Recreation Center.
BW finished tied for third out of 18 participating teams with 74 total points. Fellow Ohio Athletic Conference member University of Mount Union won the meet with 119.5 points, and swept the meet outright as its men's squad finished first in its standings as well.
The Yellow Jackets had four event champions in today's meet, and eight athletes earned All-Ohio honors for their performances. To be eligible to receive All-Ohio honors, a participant must score amongst the top three finishers of their according event.
BW had a successful afternoon on the track, led by senior All-American, All-OAC, and Academic All-OAC distance runner Kelly Brennan (Akron/Walsh Jesuit), who earned a win in the one mile run with a time of 5:04.54, and a second-place finish in the 800-meter run in 2:17.01. The Yellow Jackets' distance runners also claimed victories from All-OAC performers Hastings Marek (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) and Alyssa Laughner (Howard, Pa./Central Mountain) in the 5,000-meter run and 3,000-meter run, as they both scored career-best final times of 18:00.95 and 10:30.11, respectively. Brennan's score in the 800-meter event put her in national qualifying contention amongst NCAA Division III's top 20 indoor performances in 2020.
BW was spearheaded by senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC thrower Brooke Buckhannon (Collins/Western Reserve) in the field, as she garnered a victory in the weight throw with a career-best distance of 55' 7.75", as well as a third-place performance in the shot put with a 42' 8.25" mark. Buckhannon's score in the weight throw put her in national qualifying contention amongst NCAA Division III's top 20 indoor performances in 2020.
In relay action, the foursome of senior and junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC performers Katie Fowler (Mount Vernon) and Madison Kile (North Canton/Hoover), and freshmen Oksana Novotny (Smithville/Wooster) and Hailey Borges (Brunswick) claimed the second position in the distance medley event with a season-best time of 12:40.85. Their score put them in national qualifying contention amongst NCAA Division III's top 20 indoor performances in 2020.
BW returns to the track on Saturday, February 22 when it travels to Alliance to compete in the Raider Tune Up, hosted by Mount Union in the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex at 10:00 a.m.
