By Caleb Scott
ADA — The No. 11-ranked Ohio Northern women's outdoor track and field team recorded first place finishes in nine events as it cruised to a first place finish in the 2018 Polar Bear Invitational at Kerscher Stadium.
The Polar Bears will be back home a return to action next Friday and Saturday as they host the 2018 Outdoor Ohio Athletic Conference Championships.
On Saturday, the Polar Bears (39-7 overall) finished first of six teams with 188 points.
Senior Mallory Weininger (Upper Sandusky), juniors Avery Ewing (Kokomo, Ind./Eastern), Michaela Fox (Bellevue), and Sydney McCluer (Columbus Grove), sophomores Taylor Lavey (New Baltimore, Mich./Findlay) and Maggie Krause (Chagrin Falls/Kenston), freshmen Lauren Turner (Bellevue) and Stella DeWitt (Weston/Cardinal Stritch Catholic), and the 4x400-meter relay team of sophomore Sarah Menuez(Berlin/Heiland), freshmen Chyanne Retcher (Ney/Fairview High School) and Makayla Hoying (St. Henry) and Turner all recorded first place finishes for ONU.
Lavey and DeWitt each set new meet records to lead ONU.
Lavey won the 100-meter dash in a meet-record time of :12.62, while DeWitt set a meet record in the long jump with a leap of 18' 5.00".
Menuez, Retcher, Hoying and Turner capped the meet on a high note, winning the 4x400-meter relay in 4:28.68.
Turner also claimed the 800-meter run title, winning the event in 2:32.82.
In the 400-meter dash, Ewing picked up a first place victory in :59.16 and was the only competitor to finish under a minute.
Fox won the 1,500-meter run in 5:03.65, while fellow junior McCluer took the 100-meter hurdle title in :16.87.
Northern added two more first place finishes in the field as Weininger led a 1-2 punch in the high jump, finishing first with a leap of 4' 9.00", while senior Megan McClain (Lewisburg/Tri-County North) was second with a leap of 4' 9.00".
Krause was the final first place finisher for ONU as she won the pole vault with a vault of 12' 1.50", moving her into 14th place nationally in the event.
In the 5,000-meter run, junior Elizabeth Steele (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) was narrowly edged at the finish as she finished second in 21:17.59.
