Season Review: Women’s Track and Field enjoys another successful season in 2023

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — The Ohio Northern women's track and field team has experienced lots of success in recent years, and the 2023 season was no different.

Under 14th-year head coach Jason Maus, the Polar Bears finished 24-2 overall during the indoor season and 28-5 in the outdoor season, placing third in the Ohio Athletic Conference in both portions of the schedule. This marked the program's 12th consecutive winning season indoors and 10th straight winning season outdoors. Northern closed the year represented by fifth-year senior Tessa Pitcovich (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in Rochester, N.Y.

"This was one of the best, most complete seasons we've had in the last few years," Maus said. "We got contributions from every event group and concluded the season with a really strong outdoor OAC Championships."

Pitcovich, a 2023 Clyde Lamb Award recipient and College Sports Communicators First Team Academic All-American, ran a personal-best time of 36:07.00 in the 10,000-meter run at the Washington (Mo.) Distance Carnival on April 1, earning her an OAC Track Athlete of the Week accolade. That mark ranks second all-time at ONU and qualified her for the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second straight season. She placed 21st in the event at the national meet after finishing 17th in 2022.

The 2023 OAC indoor champion in the 3,000 meters, Pitcovich also earned All-OAC recognition indoors in the 5,000 and outdoors in the 10,000. Her time of 10:06.26 in the indoor 3,000 ranks second all-time at ONU. A three-time national qualifier in her cross country career, Pitcovich was also a USTFCCCA All-Great Lakes Region honoree indoors in the 3,000 and 5,000 and outdoors in the 5,000 and 10,000 during the 2023 track and field season.

Though her athletic career has come to an end, Pitcovich will remain connected to the Polar Bear track and field and cross country programs as a volunteer assistant coach.

"We are really excited to have the opportunity to keep Tessa in our program," Maus said. "She has made such an impact over her career, and to have her continue to help us in any capacity is a bonus. She is a great ambassador and representative of ONU, and I'm sure she'll embrace this new role and find a way to continue to help ONU Cross Country and Track and Field."

Sophomore Izzy Burman (Benton Ridge/Liberty Benton) also had a standout season in 2023, winning OAC titles and USTFCCCA All-Region honors in the indoor shot put and weight throw. She was named OAC Field Athlete of the Week on Jan. 30 after winning the weight throw and placing fifth in the shot put to help the Polar Bears win the 13-team Muskingum Invitational.

Burman currently ranks second all-time at ONU in the indoor shot put (12.91 meters) and weight throw (15.92 meters). Outdoors, she ranks fourth all-time in the hammer throw, eighth in the shot put and 10th in the discus.

"Izzy had a tremendous indoor season," Maus said. "She saw so much growth and development and was a major contributor to our success indoors."

Other OAC champions from 2023 included fifth-year senior Taylor Ellerbrock (Columbus Grove) and freshman Lindsay Weininger (Upper Sandusky). Ellerbrock won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 11:25.96, and Weininger won the high jump with a mark of 1.61 meters at the OAC Outdoor Championships. Both marks were personal bests and rank fifth and 10th, respectively, all-time at ONU.

"It was such a fantastic feeling to see Taylor put together a race like she did at the OAC Outdoor Championships. That was years' worth of work and determination coming together to achieve a goal that was a long time coming," Maus said. "Lindsay's outdoor season was tremendous. She got better each and every week. She handled the OAC meet like a competitor and just focused on the things she needed to do to be successful, and it worked out really well for her."

Other top performers from 2023 included senior Anna Schatzle (Brookville, Ind./Franklin County), sophomores Chloe Gibson (Ostrander/Buckeye Valley), Kendra Krichbaum (Ashland) and Hannah Friend (Luckey/Eastwood) and freshmen Claire Schweller (Paulding), Riley Heitkamp (Fort Loramie) and Haley Cannon (Oregon/Clay).

Schatzle, who qualified for the NCAA Championships in the pole vault at the end of both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2022, earned USTFCCCA All-Great Lakes Region honors in the outdoor pole vault this season and was an All-OAC honoree as a member of the outdoor 4x100 relay team.

"Anna had a tremendous career at ONU. She improved a ton in her four years and has a lot to be proud of," Maus said. "From all of her accomplishments and awards to her leadership this past year, she made an impact on ONU Track and Field."

The 4x100 relay team also consisted of Gibson, Krichbaum and Cannon, with Krichbaum adding an individual highlight as well, breaking the school record in the outdoor 100 meters with a time of :12.22 at the All-Ohio Championships on April 15. Gibson added a second All-OAC accolade in the outdoor triple jump with a performance that ranks fifth all-time at ONU.

"Chloe and Kendra had breakout sophomore and really stepped up to help our program be successful," Maus said. "Those are two women who lead by example and have a strong work ethic. It's always great when you get rewarded for the work that you put in."

Heitkamp earned a pair of All-OAC honors, doing so in both the indoor and outdoor high jump, while Schweller was a USTFCCA All-Region selection in the indoor and outdoor pole vault and earned All-OAC recognition in the indoor pole vault. Both moved into the top 10 lists at ONU in their respective events.

"Claire and Riley are two freshmen that made an impact right away — Claire in the pole vault and Riley as a very versatile athlete," Maus said. "It will be a lot of fun to see how much those two grow and develop in the program."

Friend rounded out ONU's 2023 All-OAC honorees, earning the accolade at the outdoor championships in the discus. Her performance at the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic moved her up to No. 2 all-time at ONU in the event as well.

"Like her sophomore counterparts, Hannah saw a ton of improvement this season, particularly outdoors," Maus said. "I think she had a lot of fun this season and will continue to work to try to be one of the best throwers in the conference."

Additionally, the ONU coaching staff, which includes Maus and assistants Molly Amidon, Jason Fisher, Will Buelsing and Emily Richards, earned recognition in being named the OAC Coaching Staff of the Year for the outdoor season.

Northern's 2023 campaign was highlighted by wins in the Larry Cole Invitational, Muskingum Invitational, Manchester (Ind.) Invitational and Mike Becraft Invitational. ONU scored 112 points at the OAC Indoor Championships and 151 points at the OAC Outdoor Championships.

The Polar Bears were also successful in the classroom, garnering five CSC All-District honors and 14 Academic All-OAC accolades.

Pitcovich, Ellerbrock, Schatzle, junior Olivia Ogg (Hebron/Lakewood) and sophomore Ashley Hockstok (Westerville/Central) earned CSC recognition. Academic All-OAC honorees included Schatzle, Ogg, Hockstok, Friend, Gibson, Burman, senior Cienna Kuhn (Elida), juniors Rosie Schroeder (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley), Allie Starner (Wellington) and Olesya Mertz (Johnstown) and sophomores Rylie Barrington (Waynesfield/Waynesfield-Goshen), Toria Ingalls (Tiffin/Columbian), Sami Sellers (Van Wert/Lincolnview) and Jaclyn Boardman (Franklin, Ind./Community).

Additionally, Pitcovich, Schatzle and Friend were named USTFCCCA All-Academic Athletes, and Northern was selected as a USTFCCCA Academic Team.

The Polar Bears will look to build off of this year's performances as they head into the 2024 season.

"We have a large core of our OAC point-scorers returning for next year, so we have the opportunity to be very competitive again," Maus said.