Season Review: Women’s Indoor Track & Field registers another solid season
By Bud Denega
ADA — Ohio Northern senior Maggie Krause (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) was poised to put an emphatic exclamation point on the 2019-20 indoor track and field season. The All-American was slated to chase a second such honor at the NCAA Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C. when the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Krause was unable to finish an illustrious career, which included an All-American honor in outdoor, as well. That being said, her indoor career ended in style, as it did for so many of her teammates.
Krause capped her time in the orange and black with an Ohio Athletic Conference title in pole vault. She cleared 3.67 meters to claim her second consecutive conference crown.
"She's grown so much as an athlete," ONU head coach Jason Maus said. "She came in as an athlete that was not a blue-chip athlete coming out of high school. To really see her go from maybe an average high school athlete to an All-American, is fantastic. I think that gives others validation of what you can accomplish."
Krause exits Northern as the second-best vaulter in school history. She reeled in another All-Great Lakes Region honor, the third of her career.
"She's someone that has been very steady and a staple in the program," Maus said. "You could always count on her to show up and do the work."
Junior Megan Wright (Eaton/Twin Valley South) joined Krause as an All-OAC award recipient. She placed third in the 3,000-meter run, helping the Polar Bears to a fifth-place team finish at conference.
Sophomore Tessa Pitcovich (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) wasn't far behind Wright in the 3,000-meter run, crossing fifth. Sophomore Kayla Silva (Westerville/South) sprinted her way to a pair of top-five finishes, and freshman Anna Schatzle (Brookville, Ind./Franklin County) took fifth in pole vault.
A trio of relay teams also placed inside the top five. The 800-meter relay team — of sophomore Emily Norden (Carey), senior Melinda McIntosh (Farmersville/Valley View), sophomore Mackenzie Detmer (Waterville/Liberty Center) and senior Sydney McCluer (Columbus Grove) — led the way with a fourth-place finish.
The 1,600-meter relay team — comprised of Norden, freshman Gabrielle Kowalczyk (Marion/Pleasant Local), freshman Emily Hughes (Norwalk/Seneca East) and McCluer — placed fifth, while the distance medley relay team of Wright (Eaton/Twin Valley South), sophomore Gizem Tanriverdi (Ada), senior Madeleine Routhier (West Unity/Hilltop) and junior Chyanne Retcher (Ney/Fairview) took fifth, as well.
"There were certainly some good highlights at conference," Maus said. "We had some younger athletes really embrace the conference meet — the atmosphere, the expectation — took on that pressure of the opportunity and perform well."
Many of those strong performances would not have been possible without the leadership of the seven seniors. Kathleen Colvin (Hilliard/Bishop Ready), Ashlynn Hickey (Wilmington), Allison Stevens (Naperville, IL. / Central), along with Krause, McCluer, McIntosh and Routhier all took on leadership roles in 2019-20 to help a relatively young roster grow as the season wore on.
"That group provided some pretty good guidance, for sure," Maus said. "They were very encouraging and very open."
Without a spring season to build off a strong OAC Championships performance, Maus hopes his squad has a heightened focus entering the 2020-21 indoor season.
"We preached a lot about taking advantage of your opportunities," Maus said. "Hopefully, these kids will come back hungry and wanting to compete and wanting fulfillment from a lost season and lost chances and lost opportunities. That'll be something we continue to press on and use as motivation."