GRANVILLE, Ohio and ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Ohio Wesleyan University women's track & field team split up to compete at three meets this past weekend, sending contingents to Denison for the Big Red Invitational on Friday and the NCAC Outdoor Combined-Events Championship on Saturday and Sunday, as well as to Grand Valley State for the Grand Valley Extra Weekend Meet on Saturday.

Of course, a Red and Black track weekend would not be complete without a broken record as the 4x100-meter relay record fell once again. It was the usual quartet of Aelyn Baumbarger, Kennedy Elfers, Katherine Dortmund, and Alaina Nathan accomplishing the feat, running a 46.90 at the Big Red Invitational.

BIG RED INVITATIONAL
Ohio Wesleyan's largest group of the weekend went to Granville on Friday for the Big Red Invitational. Despite the meet not being scored, the Bishops still maintained a strong presence at the top of the leaderboards, turning in 29 top-five performances.

The highlight of the day came in the 4x100-meter relay as Aelyn Baumbarger, Kennedy Elfers, Katherine Dortmund, and Alaina Nathan once again set a new program record with a time of 46.90, also taking first place in the event.

The Battling Bishops nearly swept the 100-meter dash with four of the top five spots. Dortmund and Nathan led the pack in first and second place, just a tenth-of-a-second apart at 12.20 and 12.30. Baumbarger and Kaylee Lusk came next in fourth and fifth with times of 12.56 and 12.61.

Kennedy Elfers and Lusk collected top-five spots in the 200-meter dash at second and fourth. Elfers was second with a 25.52. Lusk was fourth with a 25.96.

The Red and Black secured the top three spots in the 100-meter hurdles thanks to Layla Bauknecht, Dortmund, and Coral Pierson. Bauknecht turned in a 15.69 for first, followed by Dortmund in second at 15.89, and Pierson in third at 16.36.

Bauknecht also took first in the 400-meter hurdles at 1:06.28.

The Bishops' dominated their only distance event of the evening with four in the top five in the 1500-meter run. Zora Starner earned her first collegiate outdoor victory with a time of 5:04.47. Reghan Gist, Lexy Starner, and Alyssa Henry followed in third, fourth, and fifth with respective times of 5:12.99, 5:18.05, and 5:18.52.

OWU's best field event of the day was the pole vault with another four in the top five, sweeping second through fifth. Stephanie Novak was second with a mark of 3.58 meters. Next was Addie Beck in third with 3.43 meters. Sarah Radloff finished fourth at 3.13 meters. Sarah Youngquist took fifth at 2.93 meters.

Claire Campbell secured first in both the long jump and the triple jump. Her long jump was 4.78 meters while her triple jump was 10.16 meters. Teammate Jada Colvin was right behind in the triple jump with a mark of 9.92 meters for second place.

Alexis Eusey led three top-five Bishops in the javelin, winning the event with a throw of 35.50 meters. Mia Staab and Phoebe Dreschel placed fourth and fifth with marks of 30.74 meters and 29.28 meters.

Emily Davis and Jera Hoy handed in respective tosses of 43.41 meters and 40.80 for second and third in the discus.

Emma Hall landed in fourth in the hammer throw with a mark of 41.04 meters.

GRAND VALLEY EXTRA WEEKEND MEET
OWU's leading distance runners made their way up to Michigan to compete against top national competition from all three divisions on Saturday at the Grand Valley Extra Weekend Meet. The Bishops made appearances in the 1500-meter run, the 5000-meter run, and the 3000-meter steeplechase.

Brianna Montgomery and McKenna Downing represented the Red and Black in the 1500-meter, finishing 12th and 31st. Montgomery grabbed 12th with a time of 4:42.82. Downing was 31st at 4:49.82.

Five Battling Bishops took on the 5000-meter, finishing 15th, 16th, 32nd, 46th, and 59th. Sophie Cotts and Ella Chomic secured 15th and 16th with times of 17:46.72 and 17:48.76. Allison Dietz, Hope Morris, and Laura Wagner were next to cross with times of 18:20.09, 18:59.36, and 19:24.83.

Elsa Hoam was Ohio Wesleyan's lone competitor in the 3000-meter steeplechase, putting up a time of 11:45.62 for 12th place.

NCAC COMBINED-EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP
Kateri Hoy and Kali Kohler started off OWU's efforts for the NCAC Championship with nine team points at the NCAC Outdoor Combined-Events Championship on Saturday and Sunday in Granville, finishing fourth and fifth.

Hoy finished fourth in the event with 3502 total points. Her best event was the 200-meter where she finished top of the field with a 27.01, earning 711 points. She came second in the 800-meter with a 2:35.89, earning 621 points. Hoy had a fourth place finish in the 100-meter hurdles at 16.01, earning 713 points. She was sixth in both the high jump and javelin with marks of 1.36 meters and 19.78 meters, combining for 755 points. Finally, she was seventh in the long jump at 4.24 meters and ninth in the shot put at 7.05 meters, adding 702 points.

Kohler finished fifth in the event with 3183 total points. Her best event was the javelin where she was fourth overall and earned 455 points with a mark of 28.87 meters. She was fifth in the long jump with a mark of 4.44 meters, earning 413 points. Kohler also placed sixth in the 100-meter hurdles, the 200-meter, and the high jump, turning in times of 17.61 and 28.63 and a mark of 1.36 for a total of 1550 points. She placed ninth and 10th in the 800-meter and the shot put with a time of 2:52.59 and a mark of 6.89 meters, adding 765 points.

UP NEXT
The Battling Bishops will be in full force at the NCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday and Saturday, hosted by Kenyon in Gambier.