The final day of action of the opening weekend of the outdoor season amounted to 10 total wins, a sweep of the team titles and numerous outstanding marks as the University of Cincinnati track and field program closed out the 2018 Oliver Nikoloff Open Saturday afternoon at Gettler Stadium in Cincinnati. The Bearcats saw both the men and the women secure five event wins each while the men recorded four marks in the program’s all-time Top 10 and the women adding three as well.

TEAM WINS

Both teams captured the overall team crowns on the weekend with each scoring a large amount of points. On the women’s side, UC ran away with the team title by scoring 170 points as Ball State was the closest to the hosts in second with 119 points (51-point margin). The Top 5 was rounded out by Kent State in third place (96.5 points), Hillsdale (70) and Miami (62). On the men’s side, the race was closer, but the Bearcats remained victorious as the hosts scored 173.5 points to edge out Kent State (167) for the title. The men’s Top 5 also included Miami (135.5), Marian (73) and Hillsdale (46).

SENIOR SENDOFF

Prior to the start of the running events, the program recognized 29 seniors for their contributions to the program.

EVENT WINNERS

Both the men and the women won five events on the day with the Bearcats sweeping the titles in both the 4x100m relay and the high jump. On the track, the women were victorious in the 1,500m with senior Alexis Anton running 4:39.74 to grab the crown after the team of senior Kellsa Mbah, junior Haisha Bisiolu, senior Juliana Puopolo and sophomore Tiona Lattimore ran 45.68 to win the 4x100m relay. In the field, senior Loretta Blaut was victorious in the high jump as she cleared 1.82m (5-11.50) while junior Brooke Catherine won the pole vault with a best of 3.97m (13-00.25) and senior Alexis Gray took home gold in the discus (49.22m/161-06), the third-best mark in program history.

On the men’s side, sophomore Austin Edwards had a hand in three of the five victories, including two individual wins as he captured the 100m dash in 10.81 after winning the long jump with a best of 7.62m (25-00.00), the sixth-best mark in UC history. Edwards anchored the 4x100m relay to victory as he was joined by senior Khalid Fuller, senior Halen Witcher and junior Mykel Chambers as the team combined to run 41.94. The final two wins for the men came in the field events with freshman Albert Kalala capturing the win in the high jump with a best of 2.03m (6-08.00) while freshman Nicholas Lauria won the javelin with a best of 58.44m (191-09).

ON THE LIST

Along with previous marks mentioned, six more field event marks found a home on the program’s all-time Top 10 list with the throwing events grabbing five. A day after recording the #7 hammer mark, which also is a freshman record, Sam Meece was back at it again today as his marks in the shot put and the discus rank in the Top 10 as well. First, he tossed the discus out to 50.40m (165-04) for the #10 spot on the list and then hit a best of 16.26m (53-04.25) to record the #9 shot put mark in program history. In the same event, sophomore Marcus Abraham recorded a heave of 16.56m (54-04.00) to post the #8 mark in UC history.

On the women’s side, senior Alexis Gray posted Top 10 marks in the shot put and discus as well, starting first in the shot put where her mark of 14.13m (46-04.25) ranks as the #8 throw all-time. She followed that by winning the discus with a best of 49.22m (161-06) to move up #3 all-time in program history. Junior Irati Mitxelena jumped to #9 all-time in the long jump as she equalled her outdoor best with a bounce of 5.85m (19-02.50) to finish third.

PR MACHINES

Overall on the day, the Bearcats combined to post 45 personal-best marks with the men recording 25 and the women 20. While many of those came from freshmen competing in their first collegiate outdoor events, two women posted PRs in a pair of events each with Angelica Lightfoot recording her best in both the 100m hurdles (14.78) and the 200m dash (26.34) while Gray recorded hers in the shot put and discus.

ON DECK

The Bearcats return to the road next Saturday as they travel to Tucson, Ariz., to part in the Jim Click Shootout hosted by Arizona. The meet will run all day April 6 on the UA campus at Drachman Stadium.

2018 Oliver Nikoloff Open

March 31 (Day 2) • Gettler Stadium & Coy Field • Cincinnati, Ohio

Women’s Results

100m Dash

3. Kellsa Mbah – 12.19 (+0.0)

4. Juliana Puopolo – 12.33 (+0.0) – PR

100m Hurdles

5. Juliana Puopolo – 14.66 (-0.7)

7. Angelica Lightfoot – 14.78 (+1.2) – PR

15. Maggie Loeffler – 15.55 (+1.2)

17. Katie Straus – 15.65 (-0.7) – PR 

200m Dash

14. Sylvana Ross – 26.16 (-0.9)

19. Angelica Lightfoot – 26.34 (-0.9) – PR

27. Maggie Loeffler – 27.05 (-0.1)

30. Katie Straus – 27.22 (-0.9) – PR 

400m Dash

12. Sylvana Ross – 59.46 

800m Run

2. Sammy Hentz – 2:14.64

8. Deanna Gesicki – 2:21.62 – PR

15. Meg Westerheide – 2:25.22

22. Tiona Lattimore – 2:32.55 – PR 

1,500m Run

1. Alexis Anton – 4:39.74

4. Sam Mikula – 4:43.91 – PR

6. Madison Dunlap – 4:45.12

7. Hannah Markel – 4:45.85

15. Lianne Masquelier – 4:54.23

24. Grace O’Donnell – 5:04.89

29. Tes Corea – 5:12.81

      Meg Weterheide – dnf

 

3,000m Steeplechase

— Sydney Hess – dnf

 

5,000m Run

20. Cassidy Carey – 18:38.68 – PR

29. Katrina Patterson – 18:50.28 – PR

 

4x100m Relay

1. Cincinnati – 45.68

     Mbah, Bisiolu, Puopolo, Lattimore

 

4x400m Relay

6. Cincinnati ‘A’ – 4:01.98

     Westerheide (62.6), Dunlap (62.1), Anton (58.6), Hentz (57.9)

7. Cincinnati ‘B’ – 4:02.97

     Bisiolu (54.9), Winckowski (60.3), Corea (64.2), Mikula (63.9)

 

Long Jump

2. Kellsa Mbah – 5.87m (19-03.25)(+1.6)

3. Irati Mitxelena – 5.85m (19-02.50)(+0.2) – =PR & UC #9

12. Kennedy Marable – 5.18m (17-00.00)(+0.3) – PR

 

Triple Jump

3. Kennedy Marable – 11.26m (36-11.50)(+0.3) – PR

 

High Jump

1. Loretta Blaut – 1.82m (5-11.50)

6. Katie Straus – 1.62m (5-03.75) – PR

9. Naomi Urbano – 1.62m (5-03.75)

10. Katie Kravitsky – 1.57m (5-01.75) – =PR

 

Pole Vault

1. Brooke Catherine – 3.97m (13-00.25)

7. Allie Plybon – 3.52m (11-06.50) – PR

8. Sadie Brass – 3.52m (11-06.50)

9. Rachel Coghill – 3.52m (11-06.50)

 

Shot Put

2. Leah Heckaman – 14.31m (46-11.50)

3. Alexis Gray – 14.13m (46-04.25) – PR & UC #8

4. Ashley Williams – 14.00m (45-11.25)

 

Discus

1. Alexis Gray – 49.22m (161-06) – PR & UC #3

4. Ashley Williams – 43.35m (142-03)

5. Leah Heckaman – 42.30m (138-09)

 

Javelin

6. Naomi Urbano – 32.63m (107-01)

9. Angelica Lightfoot – 27.20m (89-03)

10. Katie Straus – 27.05m (88-09) – PR

12. Maggie Loeffler – 25.30m (83-00) – PR

 

Men’s Results

100m Dash

1. Austin Edwards – 10.81 (-1.8)

12. Brandon White – 11.55 (-1.4) – PR

13. Kelvin Williams – 11.55 (-0.2)

 

110m Hurdles

2. Kelvin Williams – 14.91 (-0.5)

 

200m Dash

5. Khalid Fuller – 22.58 (-0.6)

10. Ryan Greene – 22.84 (+1.3) – =PR

11. Zion Wynn – 22.88 (-0.6) – PR

 

400m Dash

5. Jaashir Morris – 50.39

11. Connor Duricky – 51.09 – PR

17. Ben Wollenslegel – 51.54

18. Zion Wynn – 51.92 – PR

19. Mykel Chambers – 52.51 – PR

 

800m Run

5. Aaron Bienenfeld – 1:54.02 – PR

15. Halen Witcher – 1:59.65 – PR

20. Logan Baker – 2:03.38 – PR

 

1,500m Run

4. Michael Vitucci – 3:58.13 – PR

10. Matt Stump – 4:05.63 – PR

 

5,000m Run

6. Nick Grismer – 14:59.94

 

4x100m Relay

1. Cincinnati – 41.94

     Fuller, Witcher, Chambers, Edwards

 

4x400m Relay

5. Cincinnati ‘A’ – 3:26.00

     McCall (50.8), Greene (50.9), Chambers (52.4), Morris (51.7)

—  Cincinnati ‘B’ – dnf

     Stump (53.1)

 

Long Jump

1. Austin Edwards – 7.62m (25-00.00)(+2.0) – PR & UC #6

4. Brandon White – 7.17m (23-06.25)(+2.5) – PR

 

Triple Jump

3. Brandon White – 13.83m (45-04.50)(+1.4) – PR

 

High Jump

1. Albert Kalala – 2.03m (6-08.00) – PR

4. Ben Wollenslegel – 1.88m (6-02.00)

 

Pole Vault

2. Nicholas Lauria – 4.57m (15-00.00) – PR

t5. Billy Rook – 4.27m (14-00.00)

 

Shot Put

2. Marcus Abraham – 16.56m (54-04.00) – UC #8

3. Sam Meece – 16.26m (53-04.25) – PR & UC #9

7. Aaron Deaton – 14.56m (47-09.25)

 

Discus

3. Sam Meece – 50.40m (165-04) – PR & UC #10

5. Marcus Abraham – 47.06m (154-05)

7. Aaron Deaton – 44.61m (146-04) – PR

8. Danny Jones – 42.85m (140-07) – PR

13. Chris Province – 40.00m (131-03) – PR

19. Alex Bloom – 34.15m (112-00)

21. Ben Wollenslegel – 33.17m (108-10) – PR

 

Javelin

1. Nicholas Lauria – 58.44m (191-09) – PR

5. Chris Province – 47.47m (155-09) – PR

6. Jacob Rieman – 43.54m (142-10) – PR

 

TEAM SCORING

Women (Top 5)

1. Cincinnati – 170.0

2. Ball State – 119.0

3. Kent State – 96.5

4. Hillsdale – 70.0

5. Miami (Ohio) – 62.0

 

Men (Top 5)

1. Cincinnati – 173.5

2. Kent State – 167.0

3. Miami (Ohio) – 135.5

4. Marian (Ind.) – 73.0

5. Hillsdale – 46.0