Smith wins Distance Runner of the Year honors, leads Men's Track to third place finish at OAC Outdoor Championships

By Tim Glon

WILMINGTON -- Senior Dan Smith won two events and was named the Distance Runner of the Year to lead Ohio Northern at the 2012 Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships Friday and Saturday at Williams Stadium.

The Polar Bears (35-20 overall) finished third of 10 teams with 112 points.

Mount Union won the team title with 143 points, Baldwin-Wallace was second with 115 points and Heidelberg was fourth with 98 points.

Smith and junior Ben Ankrom finished 1-2 in the 1,500-meter run, leading a group of four ONU runners to place in the top eight.

The top three finishers in each event earn All-Conference accolades.

Smith won the race in 3:59.22 and Ankrom was second in 4:00.14 to earn All-OAC kudos. Sophomore Mathew Johnson finished seventh in 4:05.86 and freshman Dan Steigerwald was eighth in 4:06.80.

He also earned All-OAC kudos in the 5,000 by finishing second in 15:07.40.

Smith was also named the Most Outstanding Distance Runner at the Indoor meet.

ONU finished 1-2-3 in the 800 run, with senior Cory Bailey winning in 1:53.87, sophomore Evan McKee finishing second in 1:55.15 and Ankrom finishing third in 1:55.75.

The 4x100 relay team of sophomores Francisque Pierre-Jerome and Adrian Arias and freshmen Jon Roseler and Chad Bridges earned All-Conference honors by finishing second in :42.38.

Junior Michael Simmons and sophomore Mark Berton finished 1-2 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Simmons won the race in a Williams Stadium record 9:22.62 and Berton was second in 9:26.86 to earn All-OAC kudos.

Simmons also finished eighth in the 5000 run in 15:30.33.

Freshman James Rader, Bridges, McKee and Bailey finished fourth in the 4x400 relay in 3:21 35.

Junior Kristopher Yaple finished eighth in the hammer with a throw of 39.94 meters.

On Friday, Smith, Bailey, Ankrom and McKee teamed up to win the OAC title in the 4x800 in 7:44.95.

Ohio Northern will send selected athletes to the Toledo Invitational Thursday and Friday.