Feb. 22, 2008

By Zach Stipe

ADA — Led by sophomore Jake Fox’s season-best and national-qualifying performance in the 55-meter hurdles, the Ohio Northern men’s track and field team won Friday Night Series Meet No. 4 at the ONU Sports Center.

The Polar Bears scored 248 points to secure their fifth victory of the season. Tiffin finished second with 220.5 points, Defiance was third (97.5), Tri-State was fourth (84) and Bluffton was fifth (55).

Fox ran a season-best time of 7.63 to win the hurdles and provisionally-qualify for the NCAA III Championships to be hosted by ONU on March 14-15.

Senior Ryan Roberston and junior Justin Linzy finished 1-2 in the long jump with leaps of 21-11 and 20-07, respectively.

The pair also teamed with freshmen Ryan Flemming and Julian Horn to win the 4x200 relay in a season-best 1:30.93.

Horn also won the 55-meter dash in 6.68, while Flemming placed third in 6.75.

Freshman Jeff Messmer added another victory in the sprints, winning the 200-meter dash in 23.09.

Also recording a victory was sophomore Joe Amstuz, running a time of 36.30 to win the 300-meter dash. Freshman Evan Heyman finished right behind Amstutz, placing second in 36.92.

Amstutz also placed second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.21, while freshman Garrett Brown placed third in the 400 in 52.58.

In the 500-meter run, freshman Shane Huntley placed second in 1:09.83, while junior Jeff Otte placed fourth in 1:11.19.

Sophomore Brandon Pritchard and Timothy Yeh tied for second in the triple jump with leaps of 37-07.75.

Each recording a height of 14-05.5, freshman Andrew Lammers and Jacob Weyrauch finished 2-3 in the pole vault.

Leading ONU in the distance events, junior Steve Darmon ran a time of 2:37.23 to win the 1,000-meter run.

Senior Tyson Snider was runner-up in the 3,000-meter run in a time of 9:22.21.

Sophomore Alan Bowsher ran a time of 4:29.55 to place third in the mile.

Rounding out the distance events were sophomore Ben McPheron and freshman Jacob Schoenlein’s 2-3 finish in the 5,000-meter run. McPheron finished in 16:13.17, while Schoenlein ran a time of 16:19.36.

Ohio Northern returns to action next Friday at the ONU Sports Center for Friday Night Series No. 5.