After more than a month away from competition, the Ohio Northern men's indoor track and field team returned to action in emphatic fashion Friday night inside the ONU Sports Center. The Polar Bears won the Larry Cole Friday Night Invite, scoring 140 points.
Sophomore Nate Dean (Euclid/Villa Angela Saint Joseph) led Northern. He paced the field in the 60-meter dash, boasting a time of 7.08, while adding a fifth-place finish in the 200-meter dash, clocking in at 23.48.
Sophomore Patrick Baker (Massillon/Jackson) dominated the field in the 3,000-meter run, posting a time of 9:10.86. Freshman Billy Driemeyer (House Springs, Mo./Lindbergh) placed fourth with a time of 9:27.19.
Sophomore Andrew Buderer (Oak Harbor) topped the field in the pole vault, clearing 15-05. Sophomore Luke Shellhaas (Greenville/Versailles) took fourth with a mark of 14-03.25.
Junior Sam Krabacher (Hamilton/Badin) won the 1-mile, boasting a time of 4:28.16.
Northern littered the top-five in the 60-meter hurdles. Junior Colin McCullough (Galion) ran a 8.69 to finish second, while junior Owen Lloyd (Colfax, Ind./Clinton Prairie) and freshman Selorm Adehe (Grove City/Central Crossing) placed third and fourth with times of 8.89 and 8.93, respectively.
A whole heard of Polar Bears finished in the top five of the 1,000-meter run. Senior Andrew Shelton (Williamsville, N.Y./South) placed runner-up, logging a time of 2:39.26. Sophomore Alan Dravenstott (Medina) ran a time of 2:39.48 to place third, while junior Jordan Green (Wooster) and senior Kyle Neff (Sagamore Hills/Walsh Jesuit) finished fourth and fifth with times of 2:41.58 and 2:41.75, respectively.
The 1,600-meter relay team — of McCullough, freshmen Hunter Kesler (Oakwood/Paulding) and Colton Nanik (Anna) and Krabacher — capped the night, taking second with a time of 3:35.29.
Junior Alex Sube (Wadsworth/Highland) rounded-out ONU's top-three placers, taking third in shot put with a throw of 43-06.5.
The Polar Bears return to the track Feb. 1 when they play host to the Joe Banks Invitational.
ONU women
The Ohio Northern women's indoor track and field team returned to the track Friday after a long layoff and did so in strong fashion. The Polar Bears finished runner-up at the Larry Cole Friday Night Invitational held inside the ONU Sports Center, tallying 145 points.
ONU had its best performance of the night in the 1-mile run. Junior Chyanne Retcher (Ney/Fairview) won the race with a time of 5:22.74. Junior Megan Wright (Eaton/Twin Valley South) took second, recording a time of 5:27.09, and junior Kathleen Colvin (Hilliard/Bishop Ready) placed fourth, registering a time of 5:37.65.
The Polar Bears also took control of the 3,000-meter run. Sophomore Rue Whitmore (Mason) topped the field with a time of 10:50.07, while fellow sophomore Tessa Pitcovich (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) finished runner-up, clocking in at 10:53.45.
Senior Maggie Krause (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) eased to a first-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 11-09.75. Fellow senior Allison Stevens (Naperville, Ill./Central) took third with a mark of 10-11.75.
Junior Stella DeWitt (Weston/Cardinal Stritch) finished runner-up in the long jump, leaping 17-01.5. She also took fifth in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking in at 10.06.
Senior Ashlynn Hickey (Wilmington) placed fifth in the weight throw with a toss of 46-06.75.
Senior Melinda McIntosh (Farmersville/Valley View) placed runner-up in the 500-meter run, recording a time of 1:26.07, while freshman Emily Hughes (Norwalk/Seneca East) crossed fifth in a time of 1:30.02.
Senior Madeleine Routhier (West Unity/Hilltop) led Northern in the 1,000-meter run. She clocked in at 3:12.25 to place second, while sophomore Taylor Ellerbrock (Columbus Grove) and junior Kylie Vestal(Youngstown/Austintown Fitch) placed third and fifth with times of 3:12.28 and 3:14.32, respectively.
The 1,600-meter relay — comprised of Routhier, Ellerbrock, and freshmen Gabrielle Kowalczyk (Marion/Pleasant Local) and Lexi Neff (Northfield/Walsh Jesuit) — crossed third in a time of 4:22.09.
Sophomore Kayla Silva (Westerville/South) crossed fourth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.07.
The Polar Bears return to the track Feb. 1 when they play host to the Joe Banks Invitational.
