Men's Track & Field boasts 11 Academic All-OAC honorees for 2019 campaign

May 21, 2019

By Blake Moore

ADA — The Ohio Northern men's track and field program landed 11 student-athletes on the 2019 Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference squad for their performance in the classroom this season, the league office announced Tuesday morning.

Juniors Andrew Shelton (Williamsville, N.Y./South), Noah McKee (Powell/Olentangy Liberty), Kyle Neff (Sagamore Hills/Walsh Jesuit), and Bryan Peck (Westerville/North) each received their second consecutive Academic All-OAC honor in track and field.

Meanwhile, sophomores Sam Krabacher (Hamilton/Badin), Travis Sutter (Fort Recovery), Colin McCullough (Galion), Jared Fox (Fremont/Ross), Cade Saunders (Marysville), Jack Lehr (York, Pa./Dallastown Area), and Nick DeVore (Westerville/North) garnered their first career academic awards in track and field.

To receive Academic All-OAC honors, student-athletes must be a sophomore-or-higher in academic standing, maintain varsity-level status during the season, and own a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade-point average.

The OAC office recognized 417 student-athletes from the league's 10 member institutions in 10 sports this spring for their commitment to academic excellence. In all, Ohio Northern had 57 student-athletes honored with the award.

Shelton, who is also a two-time Academic All-OAC honoree in cross country, is a junior mechanical engineering major.

During the 2019 season, he claimed All-OAC honors in the indoor 1,000-meter run and the outdoor 4x800 relay with third-place finishes in each event. He also registered career-best efforts in the 800 (1:58.84), 1500 (4:10.09), and the mile (4:34.04) this year.

Through three seasons, Shelton has accumulated 17 career OAC Championship points and has been tabbed All-OAC on three occasions.

McKee is a sprinter/jumps specialist studying exercise physiology at Ohio Northern.

This season, the junior set new career-best marks with 7.31 and 11.35 clockings in the 60- and 100-meter dashes, respectively. During the indoor season, he finished sixth in the triple jump and helped the 4x200 relay squad end eighth at the OAC Championships at the ONU Sports Center Fieldhouse.

McKee will enter his senior campaign with 10.75 career OAC Championship points.

Neff, a junior accounting major, has been tabbed Academic All-OAC in both cross country and track and field for four career awards.

In 2019, he clocked a season-best 4:16.84 in the 1,500 and a season-best 16:18.51 in the 5,000.

Peck is a junior electrical engineering major. He is also a two-time Academic All-OAC selection in cross country.

This season, the distance specialist posted a 4:26.19 in the 1,500, a 9:43.26 in the 3,000, and a 17:07.13 in the 5k.

Krabacher, a second-year pharmacy student, was also honored during the 2018 cross country season.

The sophomore compiled three All-OAC performances this season, ending among the top-three in the indoor 800, indoor 4x400 relay, and the outdoor 4x800 relay. He established a new career-best in the 800, crossing the tape in 1:57.45 at the All-Ohio Championships.

In just two seasons, Krabacher has posted 18.75 points at the OAC Championships.

Sutter, a sophomore pharmacy student, has additionally been named Second-Team All-OAC, Academic All-OAC , and a USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual in cross country during his collegiate career.

During the outdoor campaign, he ended sixth in the 3,000 steeplechase in 9:47.02 at the OAC Championships, which established a new career-best performance.

Sutter has now compiled five points at the OAC Championships during his track and field career.

McCullough is a sophomore biology major, earning the award in his first season of award eligibility.

He earned his first All-OAC honor in the 4x400 relay and finished eighth in the long jump and 60-meter hurdles at the indoor OAC Championships. The Galion product recorded new career-best efforts in the 110 hurdles (16.01), 400 hurdles (57.08), and the long jump (6.38 meters).

McCullough now owns six career OAC Championship points through his first two years at ONU.

Fox, a sophomore mechanical engineering student, was honored for the first time with the announcement.

In the outdoor campaign, he ended eighth in the 400 and led the 4x400 relay squad to a sixth-place finish at the OAC Championships. He also posted a new career-best in the 400 this season with a 50.08 clocking.

Fox owns 1.75 career championship points in two seasons.

Saunders is a sophomore jumps specialist from Marysville studying business.

This season, he recorded season-best marks of 1.81 meters in the high jump, 5.46 meters in the long jump, and 24.90 in the 200 dash.

Lehr, a sophomore thrower who is majoring in marketing, was named to the honors list for the first time this season.

He posted career-bests in the javelin (50.41 meters), hammer throw (38.40 meters), and weight throw (9.62 meters) this year.

DeVore was also honored during the 2018 cross country season. He is a sophomore mechanical engineering major.

In his sophomore campaign, DeVore posted a 4:35.00 in the 1,500, a 9:34.50 in the 3,000, and a 17:20.99 in the 5,000.

The Ohio Northern men's track and field team posted a 22-10 overall record during the indoor season and a 53-13 record during the outdoor season in 2019. The Polar Bears ended fourth at both the indoor and outdoor conference championships this year.