Marietta women place fourth and men take sixth at 2009 OAC Indoor Championship
Pioneers have 18 All-OAC performers on Saturday

March 7, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio — 18 All-Ohio Athletic Conference performers helped the Marietta College track & field team close out a successful final day of the 2009 OAC Indoor Championship and secure their team’s highest placement at the event since the program’s reinstatement. The Pioneer women compiled 91 points to finish in fourth place, three spots higher than a year ago when they had 41 points. Marietta’s men earned 46.5 points to finish sixth after taking eighth with 30 points last season. [OAC Championship Site] [Results]

Ohio Northern swept the competition. The Polar Bear women collected 147 points to beat out second place Otterbein (104.50 points) and third place Baldwin-Wallace (92.50 points). Ohio Northern’s men finished with 183 points, ahead of Heidelberg (137 points) and Mount Union (118 points).

Senior Jessi Larrison (Batavia) capped her indoor career with an individual title in the 800m Run. The four-time All-OAC indoor standout entered the competition having placed runner-up in each of the last two seasons. She finally broke through with a victory after covering the 800m Run in 2:24.47.

The Pioneer women’s other first place finish came in the 4x400m Relay, which closed out the championship competition. Larrison, senior Sheena Spencer (Marietta/Parkersburg), junior Christi Tims (Olmsted Township/Olmsted Falls) and freshman Corryn Muench (Cold Spring, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) combined to set a school record by covering the race in 4:03.49.

Spencer was Marietta’s most active student-athlete on Saturday. She took full advantage by earning All-OAC honors in four different events, which accounted for 32 total points. In addition to helping her squad win the 4x400m Relay, Spencer ran a leg on the 4x200m Relay team, which also included Tims, Muench, and freshman Brittany Sims (Columbus/Eastmoor Academy). The foursome finished in second place after running a school record time of 1:47.72. Spencer then placed second in the 400m Dash after finishing in 59.02 seconds and took third in the 300m Dash after crossing the line in school record 41.94 seconds.

Marietta’s women also received scoring from four other women on Saturday. Sims added a fifth place finish in the 55m Dash to her day after covering the distance in 7.44 seconds. Freshman Ashley Bault (Atwater/Waterloo) placed fourth in both the High Jump and Triple Jump. Bault, who also placed fourth in Friday’s Long Jump, cleared 1.54m (5-00.50) in the High Jump and then leaped 10.27m (33-08.50) in the Triple Jump. Senior Tiffany Kovacevich (Strongsville), who was runner-up in Friday’s Weight Throw, also took fourth in the Shot Put after finishing with a mark of 11.64m (38-03.25).  Freshman Lauren Asbury (White Sulphur Springs, W.Va./Greenbrier East) added a fifth place finish in the 55m Hurdles after crossing the line in 9.12 seconds.

Marietta’s men had seven All-OAC performers on Saturday. Freshman Jayshon Irvin (Vero Beach, Fla./Sebastian) finished runner-up in the 55m Dash after posting a time of 6.53 seconds. Senior Brian Pallini (Medina), who placed second in Friday’s Weight Throw, took third in the Shot Put. He finished with a school record mark of 15.14m (49-08.25). Sophomore Zach Gay (Elyria/Oberlin) tied for third in the High Jump after successfully clearing 1.95m (6-04.75). Irvin, sophomore Anthony Williams (Columbus/Bishop Hartley), sophomore Matt Hickman (St. Mary's, W.Va.) and freshman Rodney Endicott (Lavalette, W.Va./Wayne) combined to place third in the 4x200m Relay after running a time of 1:32.08.

The Pioneer men earned points in fourth other events. Junior Cody Thomas (North Olmsted) set a school record while finishing fifth in the Mile Run. Thomas crossed the line in 4:26.71. Thomas, Williams, sophomore Josh Bibb (Marietta) and freshman Brian Farlough (Maple Heights) came together to place fourth in the 4x400m Relay after covering the distance in 3:32.33. Freshman Chase Oberfield (Heath) took seventh in the 400m Dash by crossing the line in 53.22 seconds. In addition, freshman Alex Wynn (Cambridge) placed eighth in the Triple Jump after leaping 12.41m (40-08.75).

Marietta is back in action next weekend when a portion of the team will participate in the Coastal Carolina Invitational on March 13-14 in Conway, S.C. Pallini, meanwhile, will await confirmation of his invitation to compete in the Weight Throw at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship, which will be hosted by Rose-Hulman on March 13-14 in Terre Haute, Ind.

FINAL MEN'S STANDINGS: 1. Ohio Northern, 183.5; 2. Heidelberg, 137; 3. Mount Union, 118; 4. Baldwin-Wallace, 68.5; 5. Otterbein, 51; 6. Marietta, 46.5; 7. John Carroll, 32; 8. Capital, 28; 9. Wilmington, 22.5; 10. Muskingum, 15.

FINAL MEN'S RESULTS: Long Jump: 1. Higginbotham (HC), 23'0"; Weight Throw: 1. Phipps (BWC), 55'2.25";  3,000: 1. Bowsher (ONU), 8:50.11; Distance Medley Relay: 1. ONU, 10:18.20; Pole Vault: Lammers (ONU), 14'11"; Triple Jump: Bailey (MC), 46'4.25"; High Jump: Trump (CU), 6'8.25"; 800 Relay: ONU, 1:30.89; 1-Mile: O'Brien (ONU), 4:19.14; 55 Hurdles: Curbow (OC), 7.70; 400: Robertson (HC), 51.33; 500: Amstutz (ONU), 1:05.55; 55 Dash: Higginbotham (HC), 6.39; 800: O'Brien (ONU), 1:56.30; 1000: Griffin (MUC), 2:34.02; 300: Childs (HC), 35.67; 5000: Adam (ONU), 15:27.73; 1600 Relay: Heidelberg, 3:23.06.

FINAL WOMEN'S STANDINGS: 1. Ohio Northern, 147; 2. Otterbein, 104.5; 3. Baldwin-Wallace, 92.5; 4. Marietta, 91; 5. Capital, 84; 6. John Carroll, 51; 7. Heidelberg, 47; 8. Wilmington, 39; 9. Mount Union, 34; 10. Muskingum, 11.

FINAL WOMEN'S RESULTS: Long Jump: 1. Loy (MUC), 18'3.25"; Pole Vault: 1. Stechschulte (ONU), 11'5.75"; 3,000-meter Run: 1. Scullion (BWC), 10:42.92; Distance Medley: 1. B-W, 12:36.51; High Jump: Brown (HC), 5'3.75"; Shot Put: Goerig (CU), 42'3.5"; Triple Jump: Stanton (CU), 37'1"; 800 Relay: Capital, 1:47.39; 1-Mile: Smith (ONU), 5:10.11; 55 Hurdles: Brown (HC), 8.55; 400: Seabrook (CU), 58.57; 500: Kessler (ONU), 1:17.80; 55 Dash: Bataille (HC), 7.07; 800: Larrison (MAR), 2:24.47; 1000: Chinn (BWC), 3:04.94; 300: Martin (WC), 41.66; 5000: Bresson (ONU), 18:57.82; 1600 Relay: Marietta, 4:03.49.

Senior Sheena Spencer helped score 32 of Marietta's 91 points at OAC Championship.

OAC Championship Site

Results