ALLIANCE, Ohio - The Baldwin Wallace University women's indoor track and field team competed in the Raider Tune-Up, hosted by the University of Mount Union in the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex.
In an unscored event with 15 participating schools, BW showcased four event champions.
On the track, the Yellow Jackets were led by sophomore distance runner Sophi Perez (Cuyahoga Falls/Stow-Munroe Falls) and freshman Oksana Novotny (Smithville/Wooster), who both earned victories in the 5,000-meter run and 200-meter dash events, respectively. Perez's garnered a career-best final time of 20:06.28, while Novotny won her event with a mark of 27.67 seconds.
Accompanying Perez in the 5,000-meter run event was freshman distance runner Claire Hollon (North Canton/Hoover), who claimed a third place finish with a time of 20:28.02. Junior All-OAC performer Madison Kile (North Canton/Hoover) and fellow junior distance runner Lizzy Gilreath (Mentor) both attained second-place finishes with their respective career-best performances in the 1,000-meter and 3,000-meter run events. Kile scored a final time of 3:06.78, while Gilreath completed her event in 11:04.79.
In the field, BW was spearheaded by senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC performers Brooke Buckhannon (Collins/Western Reserve) and Jillian Roberts (Broadview Heights/Brecksville-Broadview Heights), who both captured event wins in this afternoon's meet. Buckhannon's first-place performance in the weight throw featured a career-best distance of 57' 7.5". Meanwhile, Roberts earned a victory in the shot put with a final mark of 41' 9.75". Buckhannon's score in the weight throw event improved her standing to 12th in national indoor qualifying contention for 2020.
In addition to her career performance in the weight throw, Buckhannon snagged the second spot in the shot put with a mark of 39' 10.75", while freshman Abby Rodriguez (Grandview, Wash.) claimed third with a career-best 38' 8.25" score, capping off an event top-three sweep for the Yellow Jackets.
In relay action, the sixsome of junior Ky'leana Allen (Columbus/Bishop Hartley), sophomores Natalie Vinci (Canton/St. Thomas Aquinas) and Heather Guiley (Louisville), and freshmen Jenna Sirianni (Aliquippa/Pa./Hopewell) and Novotny claimed a third place finish in the 4x800-meter relay, with a time of 1:53.76.
BW will return to the track on Friday, February 28 when it travels to Marietta to compete in the two-day All-OAC Championships, hosted by Marietta College in the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center.
