Two event victories help Men's Outdoor Track & Field earn fifth-place finish at Mount Union Invite

ALLIANCE — The 4x400-meter relay team and junior Ryan Fleming each earned event victories to guide the Ohio Northern men's track & field team to a fifth-place finish Saturday at the Mount Union Invitational.

The Polar Bears ended the event with 77.5 points. Malone won the meet with 136.5 points, while fellow Ohio Athletic Conference opponents Mount Union (119) and John Carroll (106) finished second and third, respectively.

Senior Joe Amstutz and juniors Garrett Brown, Evan Heyman and Shane Huntley comprised the 4x400-meter relay squad that crossed the finish line first in 3:20.20.

Junor Ryan Fleming tied for first place in the 100-meter dash with Ray Peoples from Buffalo State (N.Y.). Each athlete crossed the finish line in 11.19 seconds.

To go along with his victory in the relay, Brown also picked up a pair of third-place finishes in the hurdle events. He finished the 110-meter hurdles in 15.69 and the 400-meter hurdles in 55.24.

Amstutz and Heyman turned in top-5 finishes in the 400-meter dash, as well. Amstutz was third in 50.44, while Heyman was close behind in fifth in 50.53.

Senior Brent Hiser and freshman Michael Simmons each ran a season-best time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to finish back-to-back in second and third. Hiser finished the race in 9:54.54, and Simmons finished the race in 10:09.73.

The Polar Bears also received a pair of top-5 finishes in the field events, one apiece from freshman Bryan Miller and junior Tim Polack. Miller was third in the pole vault by clearing 13-1.75, while Polack was fifth in the high jump by clearing 6-0.

Northern will compete again next Saturday at the All-Ohio Championships hosted by Ohio Wesleyan.