Men's Track and Field finishes second at Washington (Mo.) Mini Meet

By: Monique Bowman

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Five first place finishes highlighted the Ohio Northern men's track and field team's second place finish at the Washington (Mo.) Mini Meet on Friday night.

The Polar Bears finished with 171 points, behind host WU's 190. Truman State (Mo.) finished third with 134 points, followed by Anderson (Ind.) with 85 points, Greenville (Ill.) with 79 points and Wheaton (Ill.) with 61 points.

Senior Dan Smith took first in the 1,500 run in 3:54.37, and also earned a third place finish in the 800 run in 1:57.54.

Fellow senior Cory Bailey earned the top spot in the 800, finishing in 1:57.05, followed by sophomore Evan McKee in 1:57.28.

Sophomore Francisque Pierre-Jerome had a first-place finish in the 200 in 22.24, and a second place finish in the 100 in 11.20.

ONU took the top three spots in the 10,000 run, with junior Kenton Holliday leading the way in 33:10.23. Junior Matt Bayman came in second in 33:17.09 and sophomore Ryan Valentine came in third in 33:51.57.

Sophomore Mark Berton (9:46.21) and junior Michael Simmons (9:50.02) finished first and second respectively in the steeplechase, while freshman Nate Rosenbaum finished third in the 5,000 run in 15:37.38.

The Polar Bears travel to Wilmington next Saturday for the Ohio Athletic Conference Split Meet.