It was a record-setting year for both the men's and the women's track teams, however the trend only continued on the women's side into the Mid-American Conference Championships.
The Bulls descended to Stile Fieldhouse in Akron, Ohio for the MAC Indoor Championships over the weekend. The women set a new record, finishing fourth out of the 12-team field in what is the best finish in school history. The young men's team finished fifth.
There were two individual MAC championships won, both won by the women.
Freshman Emma Siuciak had a weekend to remember. After finishing second in the women's pentathlon on Friday, she saved her best efforts for Saturday, capping off the weekend in what was a surprising victory in the high jump.
"She had an amazing meet," said women's head coach Vicki Mitchell. "For a freshman to compete in her first conference championship, she competed with nerves of steel. She just got out there and held her own; she was confident, controlled and composed. It's just an incredible performance for a freshman to just go out to that level and to compete that well."
In a more expected result, senior Becky O'Brien obliterated her competition in the shot put, winning her third MAC title with a throw of 54 feet. She never trailed in the event, as her winning throw came on the first try. Junior Kristy Woods finished third, with a throw of 49 feet-8.25 inches, and sophomore Rachel Roberts' throw of 46 feet-7.25 inches put her in seventh place.
"[O'Brien] was focused," Mitchell said. "She had one goal, and that was to win. She did just that – her intensity got her teammates fired up, with Kristy finishing third and Rachel in seventh. It's not a surprise that she won because her consistency is her strength."
In an unfortunate and surprising twist, the momentum couldn't carry over to the men's side.
Senior Rob Golabek failed to place in the men's shot put. The defending champion and favorite to win the event failed to make it out of the first round, as he fouled on all three of his attempts, which was a big blow to the men's chances.
Despite only winning two championships between the two teams, there were many other stellar performances over the weekend.
One of the more exciting events on the track was the women's 4x400 meter relay. The foursome of junior Jamiee McClary, sophomore Donna Jeanty, junior Brooklynn Ventura, and sophomore Asia Henry finished in a close second behind Western Michigan.
It was a finish that Mitchell was very proud of.
"That 4x4 relay with those four women was one of the most impressive events that I have watched in a conference championship," Mitchell said. "All four women had no less than two races under their belt, and they just finished their finals in other events. They were tired, they were sore, they were beat up and they had one goal – to do it for the team."
A couple of male athletes made season bests in their respective events, highlighted by junior Tomarris Bell's finish of second in the triple jump. His jump of 48 feet and 6.25 inches was the highest for him this season, over two feet more than his previous mark.
Despite not having a winner in the men's shot put, senior Corey Knox posted a season-best throw of 57 feet-10.5 inches, putting him at second place overall.
Next, for the select few, comes the NCAA Championships that will take place March 9 and 10 in Nampa, Idaho.
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