By: Erin Madden
ALLIANCE, Ohio - The Baldwin Wallace University women's outdoor track and field team participated in an unscored meet at the University of Mount Union inside Mount Union Stadium.
Both senior All-Ohio Athletic Conference distance runner Hastings Marek (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) and junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC distance runner Alyssa Laughner (Howard, Pa./Central Mountain) shot up to the top of NCAA Division III with their performances in the 5,000-meter run. Marek won the event in a career-best 17:45.67 to lead the nation while Laughner turned in a career-best 17:46.13 to finish as the runner-up and claim the nation's second-fastest time. Senior All-OAC distance runner Molina Otte (Omaha, Neb./Millard West) finished seventh in the same event in 18:52.03.
Senior All-OAC sprinter Ky'leana Allen (Columbus/Bishop Hartley) made her season debut and qualified to the 100-meter dash finals where she finished eighth in a time of 13.91 seconds. Freshman All-OAC distance runner Hope Murphy (Mogadore) placed sixth in the 400-meter dash in 1:00.90.
In relay action, sophomore sprinter Maddie Boltz (Medina/Cloverleaf), Allen, sophomore sprinter Jenna Kaiser (Cuyahoga Falls/Woodridge) and junior All-OAC sprinter Natalie Vinci (Canton/St. Thomas Aquinas) placed third in the 4x100-meter relay in a time of 53.14 seconds.
Senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC thrower Brooke Buckhannon (Collins/Western Reserve) claimed her second win in the hammer throw in as many meets as she hit a career-best mark of 179 feet, 5 inches. She bested the runner-up by over 19 feet and further strengthened her hold on the nation's best hammer throw mark. Buckhannon also collected a pair of runner-up finishes in both the shot put and the discus throw. The senior tossed 40'6.25" in the shot put and a season-best 131'8" in the discus, which currently ranks sixth and seventh in NCAA Division III, respectively.
BW will host the 51st Sparky Adams Invitational for its first meet of the outdoor season on Friday, April 2, beginning at 10:30 a.m. inside George Finnie Stadium.
