The Miami University women's track and field team has built a reputation this season on being consistently strong in terms of their willingness to compete.
This past Saturday proved to be a bit rough for the 'Hawks, but nevertheless they still racked up 89 points and finished fourth out of 16 teams at the All-Ohio Championships in Athens, behind state conference rivals Kent State University, who took the title with 151 points, while Miami's men's track team placed fifth with 79 points.
Senior Amanda Mirochna was the lone RedHawk victor Saturday. Her time of 10:48.73 earned her first place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while teammate Maggie Bingham was second with a personal best time of 10:50.65.
"Mirochna's win in the steeplechase was good, but her teammate's second place finish and 25 second PR was even more impressive," Head Coach Kelly Phillips said. "Maggie Bingham ran really well."
Junior Kelley Miller finished second in the 1,500-meter run with a time 4:34.65, while junior Katie Lenahan took fifth in 4:38.68 and redshirt sophomore Rachel Patterson took seventh in 4:41.08.
In the sprint events, sophomores Diona Graves and Rachael Clay played key roles in boosting the RedHawk team score. Graves finished second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.12 seconds, and seventh in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.51. Clay took third in the 400-meter dash in a season-best 56.62. Graves and Clay also ran on the 4x200-meter relay that took second in a time of 3:51.96.
Other standout performances for the 'Hawks include sophomore Brigid Carey's second place finish in the 10,000-meter run with a personal best time of 37:39.11, and senior Nicki Mitchell's second place finish in the heptathlon with 4,544 points.
On the men's side of the track, this meet was one of the most competitive of the year, many athletes placed and did well, including a couple of personal bests.
On the decathlon section of the meet, junior Michael McCarty placed first with 6,778 points, along with sophomore Matt Rudin placing second and freshman Reggie Mitchell who placed third.
In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, senior Ryan Dezso and junior Robbie Fisher placed third and fourth, grabbing personal bests in the event with times of 9:11.97 and 9:20.47. Not only this, but junior John Rees took third in the long jump with a jump of 22-0.25.
Next week, the RedHawks with have their last home meets of the season. Though the next meet won't have scores kept, look for it to be exciting with lots of athletes competing and changing their events around. The meet kicks off Saturday, April 24.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
"The meet will allow the athletes, especially the decathletes, to take a break and regroup for the final push after such a draining and hard-fought meet in Ohio," Head Coach Warren Mandrell said.
Some RedHawk runners will also compete at the Penn Relays April 22 to 24, which Phillips is looking forward to.
"It's the biggest track meet in the world with more than 100,000 spectators over a four day period," Phillips said. "We are bringing a small group, but hope to have some great performances."
Read More
How one professor and her classes are preserving Oxford’s Black history
By Sean Scott | March 20, 2024Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history, teaches The Black Midwest (HST 350Q) and Black Women in America (HST 450D) classes. In both courses, she has students working with the Smith Library of Regional History and Miami’s archives to document and preserve Black history in Oxford.
Miami faculty members recount Freedom Summer in new documentary
By Luke Macy | February 25, 2022After seven years of work, “Training for Freedom,” a documentary highlighting Oxford’s involvement in the Freedom Summer of 1964, premiered on PBS Western Reserve on Valentine’s Day.
“Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic”: History in the making
By Alice Momany | August 29, 2021In March 2020, Miami University’s archives launched “Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a collection focused on life during the COVID-19 pandemic.