Lehr wins javelin throw as Men’s Outdoor Track and Field sits in third place after Day 1 of OAC Championships
By Wes Mayberry
BEREA — Fifth-year senior Jack Lehr (York, Pa./Dallastown) won the Ohio Athletic Conference title in the javelin throw to lead the Ohio Northern men's outdoor track and field team on the first day of the 2022 OAC Championships meet on Thursday at Baldwin Wallace's Finnie Stadium.
Lehr posted a throw of 51.23 meters, which was a personal-best mark that ranks 10th all-time at ONU, to win the javelin championship.
The Polar Bears (10-0 overall) are in third place out of 10 teams with 47 points through seven events after the first day of competition. John Carroll leads with 66 points, and Mount Union is second with 59 points.
Northern had two other All-OAC performances on the day courtesy of senior Andrew Buderer (Oak Harbor) and the 4x800 relay team.
Buderer, the defending champion in the pole vault, cleared a height of 4.55 meters to place second.
The team of freshman Ryan Massie (Beavercreek), junior Brooks Blakeley (Versailles) and sophomores Canyon Neundorfer (Bellville, Tex./St. John) and David Gross (Prospect/Pleasant Local) finished third in the 4x800 relay with a time of 7:54.30.
The top three finishers in each event earn All-OAC status, and the top eight score team points.
The Polar Bears had eight other placers on Thursday.
Lehr posted a fourth-place finish in the discus throw with a distance of 42.99 meters.
Fifth-year senior Travis Sutter (Sharpsburg/Ft. Recovery) ran a personal-best time of 9:23.20, which ranks fifth all-time at ONU, to finish fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Junior Nick Tangeman (Maria Stein/Marion Local) was fifth in the long jump with a distance of 6.44 meters, and senior Luke Shellhaas (Greenville/Versailles) was fifth in the pole vault with a height of 4.25 meters.
Junior Hunter Kesler (Oakwood/Paulding) placed sixth in the long jump with a mark of 6.43 meters.
Junior Breydan Hann (Wooster) was eighth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a personal-best time of 9:40.47, which ranks seventh all-time at ONU.
Sophomore Kyle Roth (Rockford/Parkway) was eighth in the 10,000 meters with a personal-best time of 31:27.30, which ranks fifth all-time at ONU.
Sophomore Brandon Wise (Goshen, Ind./Concord) was eighth in the pole vault with a height of 4.10 meters.
The second and final day of the championship meet gets underway on Friday with field events beginning at 11 a.m. and running events starting at 3 p.m.
