Six days after hosting a low-key meet with only three teams in attendance, the Bobcats are facing a high level of competition as they host the All-Ohio Championships.
“The Mid-American Conference meet is obviously the most important meet,” Ohio coach Clay Calkins said. “But the All-Ohio Championships is the second one on the list.”
Ohio hosts the meet for the first time since 2010. With 15 teams in attendance, more than 700 athletes will compete on the Goldsberry Track during the two-day meet.
“It’s a great opportunity to promote Ohio University’s track and field team,” Calkins said, adding that he and his coaching staff prepared the meet for the last two weeks. “We’re happy to host it.”
Aside from the logistical challenge, the Bobcats face challenges on the track Friday and Saturday, as the likes of Ohio State, Cincinnati, Akron and Kent State travel to Athens.
The Buckeyes are the current Big Ten outdoor champion, and the Golden Flashes won the MAC meet last year. In addition, Division II powerhouse Ashland University will make an appearance after placing fifth at the NCAA indoor championships in March.
“A lot of the who’s who in the state of track and field is going to be here,” Calkins said.
After keeping some of the top athletes out of competition last week and letting most of the team compete in unusual events, Calkins will not experiment with the lineup this time.
Distance standout Juli Accurso will lace shoes again for the 10,000-meter race after the one-week hiatus. The race marks her second performance in the longest race offered on the track this season, after finishing in 33:52.33 minutes at the Stanford Invitational. The time ranks her 16th in the nation.
“We need her to put points for us on the board,” Calkins said.
Also trying to score for the Bobcats, Melissa Thompson, who will run the 1,500-meters and the 5,000-meters. The junior is seeded 10th and first in the events, respectively.
“She will be able to handle (running two events),” Calkins said. “That’s a double that could happen at the MAC championships.”
Joining Thompson in the 5,000-meter race will be the freshman duo Kayla Scott and Krista Roehlig who are seeded second and eighth, respectively.
Whether this will be enough for the Bobcats to come out with a good team score is yet to be determined.
“There are some really good teams coming in,” Calkins said. “We’ll see how it will pan out for us in the team score.”
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