Marietta women sit second and men sixth after day one of OAC Indoor Championship
Action will conclude on Saturday in Columbus

March 6, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio —The Marietta College track & field team jumped out to a solid start at the 2009 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Indoor Championship on Friday (March 6) night at Capital University. The Pioneer women currently sit in a tie for second place with 23 points, while the Pioneer men are in sixth place with nine points after the first day of competition. [OAC Championship Site]

Marietta had three student-athletes earn All-OAC honors in the Weight Throw, which is an exhibition event and does not count toward team scoring. Senior Brian Pallini (Medina) earned league recognition after a second place finish in the Men’s Weight Throw. The 2008 champion and top seed finished with a mark of 16.06m (52-08.25). Senior Tiffany Kovacevich (Strongsville) matched Pallini’s finish in the Women’s Weight Throw as she took runner-up with a mark of 14.52m (47-07.75). Sophomore Stephanie Hammond (Toledo/Central Catholic) was right behind Kovacevich in third place with a toss of 13:50m (44-03.50).

Freshman Ashley Bault (Atwater/Waterloo) began the meet with a fourth place finish in the women’s Long Jump, which earned her five points for the Pioneers. Bault finished with a school record mark of 5.23m (17-02.00).

The Pioneers then picked up eight more points in the women’s Pole Vault. Sophomore Olivia Holiday (Malta/Morgan) earned a fifth place finish after clearing 3.20m (10-06.00). Freshman Kim Keesler (Chagrin Falls) took sixth after clearing 3.10m (10-02.00), while classmate Emma Vierheller (Orrville) tied for seventh after clearing 3.00m (9-10.00).

Marietta added six points in the Women’s 3,000m Run after two runners placed in the top eight. Freshman Jennifer Emmert (Martinsburg, W.Va.) finished in fourth place, crossing the line in 10:51.27. Junior Randi Robertson (Avon Lake) followed in eighth place; she finished in 10:56.24.

The Pioneers picked up their final four points of the evening when the Women’s Distance Medley Relay team placed fifth. Juniors Shannon McDonald (Lorain/Amherst Steele), Brenda Puckett (Eaton/Preble Shawnee) and Logan Wern (North Canton/Hoover) teamed with freshman Christina Tirpak (Galena/Olentangy) to put together a time of 13:23.74.

Freshman Ryan Householder (Frazeysburg/Tri-Valley) earned the first four points of the championship for Marietta’s men when he captured fifth place in the Long Jump after leaping 6.40m (21-00.00).

The men’s Distance Medley Relay team, which featured juniors Josh Mickle (Madison) and Cody Thomas (North Olmsted) and freshmen Josh Bibb (Marietta) and Terrance Wallace (Columbus/Westerville Central), collected the other five points with a fourth place finish in their event. The Pioneers crossed the line in a school record time of 10:35.50.

Marietta also had four women and two men qualify for Saturday finals in Friday’s prelims. Bault will race in the final of the 55m Hurdles after taking eighth place in the prelim with a time of 9.20 seconds. Senior Sheena Spencer (Marietta/Parkersburg) advanced in both the 300m Dash and 400m Dash. Spencer took sixth in the prelim of the 300m Dash after finishing in 42.60 seconds. She then placed fourth in the prelim of the 400m Dash after finishing in 1:01.59. Freshman Brittany Sims (Columbus/Eastmoor Academy) will compete in the 55m Dash finals after she placed fifth in the prelim with a time of 7.39 seconds.

Freshmen Jayshon Irvin (Vero Beach, Fla./Sebastian) and Chase Oberfield (Heath) both advanced out of the prelims in their respective events. Irvin won his heat of the 55m Dash after speeding to the line in 6.55 seconds, which was the second fastest time of the evening. Oberfield, meanwhile, earned the ninth and final spot in the 400m Dash final after crossing the line in 53.44 seconds.
           
The OAC Indoor Track & Field Championship concludes on Saturday (March 7) afternoon. Action begins at 10 a.m. Results will be updated after each event at http://www.capital.edu/24291/.

Senior Tiffany Kovacevich took second place in the Weight Throw on Friday.

OAC Championship Site