While Kent State ran, threw and jumped a record-breaking 175 points at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships, Ohio used only one of its three options to score points.
All season long, the Bobcats’ distance squad has been the difference. This meet was no exception as the group made up for Ohio’s deficits in the field events.
The junior duo of Juli Accurso and Melissa Thompson led the Bobcats to a seventh place finish, scoring 30 of 38 total points and winning all of Ohio’s three events.
Still, Ohio coach Clay Calkins was satisfied with his team’s performance, despite his team’s one-sided performance.
“I am happy about the outcome,” he said after returning from the two-day competition in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Ohio’s success in the distance events started Friday night, when the distance medley relay team of Thompson, Kiley Matthews, Danielle Winningham and Accurso won in a time of 11:26.80 minutes.
Thompson returned to the track Saturday morning to win the mile in a school record time of 4:48.22 minutes, while Accurso finished fourth.
Both laced up their running shoes again two and a half hours later to compete in the 3,000 meter run.
“(Thompson and Accurso) were ranked second and third in the mile,” said Calkins on why both athletes had to run both races. “Melissa fell off a bit (in the 3,000 meter) but it didn’t hurt Accurso’s performance.”
Accurso finished the 3,000 meters in a new MAC Indoor meet record of 9:36.43, while Thompson finished 16th.
The only non-distance event in which the Bobcats scored was the pentathlon, as sophomore Chanda Cuckler placed seventh with 3442 points.
While Accurso and Thompson will continue to prepare for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., in two weeks, the rest of the team is starting to turn its focus toward the upcoming outdoor season.
“We have more options to get more points on the board in the outdoor season,” Calkins said. “We have the javelin, the hammer throw and the 4 x 800 meters in which we always have been strong.”
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