ADA — The Ohio Northern men's cross country team is ranked No. 19 in the first weekly United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division III poll, released on Wednesday.
The Polar Bears (26-2 overall) received 131 points in the poll, 17 fewer than the 148 they received in the preseason poll when they were ranked No. 17.
North Central (Ill.) remained in the top spot with 280 points and all eight first place votes, while SUNY Geneseo is second with 271 points and Wisconsin-La Crosse rounded out the top-3 vote-getters with 263 points.
The Polar Bears will return to action Saturday at the Tiffelberg open in Tiffin.
ADA -- Freshman Jenna Fuller (Countryside, Ill./Lyons Township) scored her first career goal as the Ohio Northern women's soccer team defeated Denison 1-0 on Wednesday evening in the first game of a double header with the men's soccer team at Kerscher Stadium.
The Polar Bears improve to 3-1-1 overall with the victory, while the Big Red fall to 2-2-2.
After a scoreless first half, sophomore Rose Nienaber (Cincinnatti/Oak Hills) played a long through ball to Fuller who capitalized for her first career goal in the 58th minute to give ONU the 1-0 lead.
BLUFFTON — Sophomore McKenna Jordan (Toledo/Saint Ursula) had a match-high 14 kills to lead the Ohio Northern volleyball team to a 25-16, 25-19, 25-10 victory at area-rival Bluffton on Wednesday night at Sommer Center.
The Polar Bears improve to 7-2 on the season, while the Beavers fall to 4-5.
In the opening set, Ohio Northern led 15-14 before closing the set on a 10-2 run.
Northern jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the second set and led comfortably throughout to go up two sets to none.
ADA - The host Ada volleyball team opened defense of its Northwest Conference title by sweeping winless Bluffton Tuesday evening.
The Bulldogs improved to 5-4 overall and 1-0 in NWC play with the 25-19, 25-8, 25-16 victory. The Pirates fell to 0-6 overall and 0-1 in the NWC.
Senior Melina Woods led Ada with 27 kills, six digs, three blocks and two aces.
"In the first set we were sleeping, the second set was amazing," said Ada head coach Melissa Gossard. "The third set started out great but we fell asleep kind of at the end."
WAUSEON — Junior Nick Anderson (Mason) tied a career-low with a 1-under par 73 to lead the Ohio Northern men's golf team to a sixth place finish in the 13-team at the Jon Spiess Memorial Tournament on Tuesday at Ironwood Golf Course.
The Polar Bears (8-18 overall) finished with a 18-hole total of 311 on the par-72 course.
The tournament featured nine NCAA Division II schools.
Ohio Northern finished third of the five Division III teams, defeating Albion (Mich.) and Bluffton and falling to Defiance and Trine (Ind.)
Anderson tied his career-low round, firing a35-38—73 to finish fifth out of 72 golfers.
Behind a formidable rushing attack, visiting Lima Central Catholic opened up a 21-point first quarter lead last Friday night and never trailed in the game, defeating the Bulldogs, 41-21. The Thunderbirds amassed over 400 yards on the ground, as three different running backs found the end zone in the victory. The loss drops Ada to 2-1 on the season.
SEE BOX SCORE BELOW -
Nickiya Williams opened the Thunderbird first quarter scoring with a 61-yard touchdown run on LCC’s first possession. Ron Banks’ extra point gave the T-Birds an early 7-0 lead.
