OXFORD - Competing against teams representing six different conferences, the men's and women's track and field teams finished eighth and fifth of 10 teams, respectively, at the Miami Invitational Saturday.
Hurdler Jericka Duncan captured Ohio's only individual first-place finish, winning the 400-meter hurdles for the third time in three outdoor meets, while thrower Ruth Sharp finished second in the shot put. The highest individual men's finish was fifth, attained by four different Bobcats.
We were missing some key people this week
and we're kind of resting some people for All-Ohio (Championships next weekend) coach Clay Calkins said. We definitely had some good performances. Overall I was happy with the way the hurdles went
the jumps ... the throws. We're getting there.
Top performers for the women's team included Sharp and Duncan, who also finished second in the 100 hurdles, and hurdler/jumper Foli James, who took third in the 100 hurdles and fourth in both the long jump and the high jump.
The men's team was bolstered by four fifth-place finishes from distance runners Drew Frum (5,000) and Brian King (3,000 steeplechase), mid-distance runner Jason Linton (1,500) and pole vaulter Boone Troyer.
Thrower Eric Bildstein also returned to action, finishing sixth in the hammer throw. Bildstein missed the McDonald's Invitational becauses of service requirements with the Marine Corps Reserve. His military service also can force him to miss some practices, Bildstein said.
It is very frustrating to go from doing really well
then having that time off and not being able to train
Bildstein said. I love both things
so you just got to do what you got to do.
Host Miami did what it had to do, taking first in the women's competition and second in the men's. Cincinnati, which dominated the sprints to claim first in the men's competition, amassed 79 points more than the runner-up RedHawks.
Cincinnati's tough; they have a heckuva sprint squad
Calkins said. They dominated the sprints and really dominated the meet
at least on the men's side.
Ohio is scheduled to see both the RedHawks and the Bearcats at its next two meets, the All-Ohio Championships and the Southern Cup.
The Bobcats return to action next weekend when they travel to Columbus for the All-Ohio Championships, held Friday and Saturday at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium and French Field House.
News and notes from Goldsberry
During Saturday's Miami Invitational, freshman distance runner Craig Leon finished the 5,000 in 15:11.64, good for 11th place. Leon's time, which was a five-second personal best, pushed him ahead of current Bobcats coach Mitch Bentley's freshman 5,000 time, Bentley said. Bentley, a 1985 Ohio graduate, still holds the second-best times in school history for both the 10,000 and indoor 5,000. ... Next weekend's trip to Columbus marks Ohio's first trip to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium since last year's NCAA Regional meet, for which eight different Bobcats qualified.
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