Track and field: Bobcats place first at Marietta Open

The Bobcats went to Marietta on Friday looking for a little boost.

They got it in the form of 11 first-place finishes and earned 261 points to take first place in the Marietta Open.

Robert Morris and Marshall finished second and third, respectively.

It proved to be the Bobcats' most complete meet of the season. They finished in first place in sprint events, distance events, jumps, and throws.

Melissa Wiley led the way for the Bobcats, claiming first place in two events. The sprinter crossed the line in 26.35 seconds in the 200-meter dash and beat the competition in the 55-meter hurdles with a season-best time of 8.41.

The senior was coming off a first-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles at the Kent State Duals the weekend before.

Also scoring a first-place finish for the sprinters was Brittany Vinson. The senior finished the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.49.

In the 400 meters, Susan Plungis earned the victory with a time of 59.55. The senior was also part of the 4x400 meter relay team that placed first with a time of 4:10.05. Joining Plungis in the victory were Megan Helgeson, Courtney Weiss, and Hope McCarty.

With the Marietta Open being a more low-key meet, coach Clay Calkins decided to sit top distance runners Kari Summers and Annie Beecham.

Even without its top runners, the distance team put up results.

Abigail Swift finished in the 5,000 meters with a time of 19:35.59. The Bobcats also took the top spot in the distance medley relay. Plungis, Weiss, Hope McCarty, and Celia Struble won the event with a time of 13:15.95.

As has been the case for most of the season, the throwers continued to dominate at the Marietta Open.

Calkins' 1-2-3 punch of Bahiyjaui Allen, Emily Amendola, and Jessie Tanner finished first, second and third in the shot put, respectively. Tanner and Allen also finished first and second in the weight throw.

The Bobcat women even found success in the jumps. Cathy Udeani won the high jump with a jump of 1.67 meters.

Christen Bosch won the pole vault for the second time this season. The junior won the event with a season-best vault of 11-06.00.

The Bobcats will look to keep the momentum going as they compete in the All-Ohio Championships this weekend.