Smith gets NCAA provisional mark as Track & Field competes at North Central's (Ill.) Gregory Invitational

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Several members of the Ohio Northern track and field teams competed at the North Central (Ill.) Gregory Invitational, Thursday and Friday, in preparation for next week's national championships.

Junior Dan Smith (Avon) earned an NCAA provisional time in the 1,500-meter run, finishing in 3:52.55. He also competed in the 5,000-meter run, placing 13th in 15:03.48.

Also competing at the invitational was senior Garrett Brown (Atwater/Cuyahoga Vallley Christian), who finished ninth in the 400-meter hurdles in 55.10, and junior Cory Bailey (Loveland) in the 800-meter run, finishing 13th in 1:53.77. Senior Tim Polack (Medina) also finished 10th in the decathlon.

On the women's side, senior Courtney Zupancic (North Ridgeville) had the highest finish of the day for ONU, placing seventh in the hammer throw (150-6). Also competing for the women was sophomore Vicki Moga (Stow/Monroe Falls), who tied for 11th in the high jump at 5-1.75.

The Polar Bears now wait for the field to be announced Sunday for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, May 26-28 at Ohio Wesleyan in Delaware. Moga has a chance to represent the women on the national stage, as she has a provisional mark in the high jump at 5-5, which she set in late April.

The men's team has five NCAA provisional times, including two in the 100-meter run (Ryan Fleming and Francisque Pierre-Jerome). In addition to Smith's in the 1,500, Brown has a provisional mark in the 400 hurdles, as does the 4x100 relay squad.