Men's Outdoor Track & Field opens spring season at Early Bird Relays hosted by Cincinnati

CINCINNATI — The Ohio Northern men's outdoor track & field team opened up its spring season on Saturday afternoon at the Early Bird Relays hosted by Cincinnati.

Northern finished second among the seven NCAA Division III and NAIA schools with 55 points, as Ohio Wesleyan was first with 65 points.

Junior Ryan Fleming had a solid day in multiple events, finishing the 100-meter dash in 11.11 (6th) and helping the 4x100-meter relay squad finish in 42.34 (4th).

Senior Joe Amstutz, junior Evan Heyman and sophomore Jacob Schwab also ran as part of the 4x100-meter relay team. Amstutz also had a seventh-place finish in the 400-meter dash in 51.76, while junior Shane Huntley edged Amstutz for sixth place in a time of 51.33.

Sophomore Jeff West had a strong showing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a fourth-place finish in 10:27.20.

Sophomore Dan Smith was fifth in the 800-meter run in 1:56.02, and junior Tim Polack turned in a sixth-place performance in the javelin with a throw of 150-2.

Junior Joe Gutter, sophomore Jarrod Stevens and freshman Ben Ankrom all recorded seventh-place finishes. Gutter had a mark of 154-7 in the hammer throw, Stevens jumped 39-0.25 in the triple jump and Ankrom finished the 1,500-meter run in 4:03.63.

Senior Alan Bowsher was just behind Ankrom in the 1,500 in eighth place with a time of 4:05.31.

The Polar Bears will be in action this weekend at the two-day W&L/VMI Carnival on Friday and Saturday.