By: Erin Madden
HILLSDALE, Mich. – The Baldwin Wallace University women's indoor track and field team participated at the unscored two-day Hillsdale (Mich.) College Wide Track Classic inside the Margot V. Biermann Athletic Center.
On the first day of action, Yellow Jackets combined for three of the top-four finishes in the 3,000-meter run, led by junior distance runner Molina Otte (Omaha, Neb./Millard West) with an event-winning time of 11:00.76. Freshman distance runner Maddie Miller (Medina) placed third in a time of 11:10.97 and was followed closely by junior distance runner Lizzy Gilreath (Mentor) in fourth place with a career-best time of 11:14.97. Meanwhile in the 3,000 championship event, junior All-Ohio Athletic Conference distance runner Hastings Marek (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) ran a career-best time of 10:29.29 to place fifth. Senior three-time All-American distance runner Kelly Brennan (Akron/Walsh Jesuit) and sophomore All-OAC distance runner Alyssa Laughner (Howard, Pa./Central Mountain) swept the top two spots in the 5,000-meter championship event with Brennan winning in 17:29.29 and Laughner finishing as the runner up in 17:57.69.
The distance medley relay team of senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC distance runner Katie Fowler (Mount Vernon), Otte, freshman distance runner Hailey Borges (Brunswick) and junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC distance runner Madison Kile (North Canton/Hoover) finished off the first evening by placing fourth in a BW season-best time of 12:49.77.
In the field, fellow senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC throwers Jillian Roberts (Broadview Heights/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) and Brooke Buckhannon (Collins/Western Reserve) took third and fourth place, respectively, in the shot put. Roberts tossed a mark of 43 feet, 3 inches for her third-place finish while Buckhannon hit a season-best 41'5.75" for fourth place. Freshman hurdler/jumper Jenna Sirianni (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) leapt a career-best 34'0.75" to place eighth in the triple jump.
During the second day of the meet, Borges posted a time of 2:26.77 to finish third in the 800-meter run. Two additional third-place finishes came out of championship events thanks to Laughner and Brennan. Laughner's came in a time of 5:12.75 in the 1-mile championship while Brennan's was a time of 2:20.31 in the 800-meter championship.
The Yellow Jackets return to Berea for their final home meet of the indoor season on Friday, February 14, for the Mid-February Open, beginning at 4 p.m. on the Harrison Dillard Track inside the Lou Higgins Center.
