Ohio wrapped up its 2019 season over the weekend in DeKalb, Illinois, at the Mid-American Conference Championships.
The Bobcats’ runners ran one final time in the chilly fall temperatures at Northern Illinois’ campus. Both the men’s and women’s team all did their various pre-race rituals, and unfortunately, none of them worked and the result wasn’t what it expected.
The men’s team finished sixth and women’s placed seventh in sour ends to an otherwise successful year.
Despite the unwanted finish, there were still several high points with a few strong individual performers for Ohio’s men.
Junior Josh Park (25:31.3) was the stand out runner for the Bobcats. He won the conference championship last season, and while he was not able to defend his title, he still was on the podium with a third place finish. While he didn’t retain his title, Park received First-Team All-MAC honors for his performance.
Junior Griffin Butler (25:47.9), also had a strong performance and placed eighth overall. Butler earned Second Team All-MAC awards for his finish. Other Bobcats who ran well included sophomore Czar Tarr (26:27.4), junior John Jayes (26:39.0) and junior Seth Gard (26:56.0) who all finished in the top 50.
Similar to the men’s team, the women’s finish was not what they had hoped for. But it showed a season worth of improvement after the team finished ninth a year ago.
Madison Sury was Ohio’s best at the conference championships with a 22:19.7 time, which earned her a 12th place finish and Second Team All-MAC. Other top 50 finishers for the women’s team were junior Hailey Bowes (22:43.2) and sophomore Madelyn Bartolone (23:06.4).
This is not the end for many of the women on the team. A majority of them will return to action this winter when the indoor track and field season kicks off.
