Season Preview: Young Men’s Indoor Track and Field roster looking to grow into roles 

By Bud Denega 

ADA — The Ohio Northern men's indoor track and field team's roster is weighted heavily in one particular way. The Polar Bears have a lot of underclassmen and not so many veterans. 

"Across the board, we are really young," Maus said. "It's going to take some time to get some experience with these kids and even some of your sophomores and juniors adjusting to new roles and new positions."

And while the roster is youthful, it's well balanced. The Polar Bears finished fourth at last year's Ohio Athletic Conference Championships and got there by receiving contributions from all over the track. 

Sophomore Nate Dean (Euclid/Villa Angela Saint Joseph) took runner-up in the 400-meter dash as a freshman. Fellow freshman, and now sophomore, Luke Shellhaas (Greenville/Versailles) also placed runner-up in the pole vault. 

Junior Sam Krabacher (Hamilton/Badin) crossed third in the 800-meter run, and senior Andrew Shelton (Williamsville, N.Y./South) finished third 1000-meter run at OACs a season ago. Over on the field, junior Owen Lloyd (Colfax, Ind./Clinton Prairie) placed third in the high jump. 

Krabacher, junior Colin McCullough (Galion) and senior Cody Benny (Wapakoneta) placed third at last year's OAC Championships in the 1,600-meter relay. Benny, Krabacher, Shelton and junior Jordan Green (Wooster) crossed fourth in the distance medley. 

Most of the remaining roster is either young or unproven, and that will make 2019-20 a year of firsts for much of the team. 

"I think in track this year it's going to be a growing experience," Maus said. "There's going to be some ups and downs, but these kids just have to keep believing in themselves and gain some confidence as the season goes on."

The 2019-20 season gets underway Saturday at the Findlay Invitational. The Polar Bears' first home meet will be the Larry Cole Friday Night Invite Jan. 24. 

Northern will enjoy two other home meets — the Joe Banks Invitational Feb. 1 and the Polar Bear Final Qualifier March 6 and 7. The OAC Championships will take place in Marietta Feb. 28 and 29, while the NCAA Indoor Championships are in Winston-Salem, North Carolina March 13 and 14.