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Miami track and field wins All-Ohio Championship

Sophomore Tessa Brooks competes in the shot put Saturday. Brooks did not place, but MU junior Amelia Strickler finished first with a 53-11.75 mark.

Photo by Connor Moriarty, Photography Editor

By Harrison Schwartz, For The Miami Student

Against a field of 14 schools, the Miami University women's track and field team won the All-Ohio Championship Saturday with 152 points. The men's team totaled 130 points to place second behind Ohio State University.

The women's team bounced back from a fourth place finish at the Miami Invitational, which head coach Kelly Phillips described as "disappointing." Phillips was impressed by her team's performance in the All-Ohio meet.

"What a difference a week makes," Phillips said. "We had a great performance. We had 60 alums there. Seeing the alums screaming their heads off - the girls just rose to the occasion."

Men's head coach Warren Mandrell was equally satisfied with his squad's performance.

"The meet was good," said Mandrell. "The athletes had a good performance. It was good competitive racing across the board. There were a bunch of alums back. It was a great sunny day for them to see a nice track meet."

The men's team compiled several top 5 finishes.

Junior runner Joe Stewart led the RedHawks, taking first place in the 5k with a time of 14:28.62.

Two Miami runners achieved personal best times in their respective events. Senior runner Joey Comisford's PR came in the 800-meter run. He finished third with a time of 1:52.18. Sophomore Andrew Dusing placed second in the 800 with a time of 1:50.56. His PR is the sixth fastest time in Miami track and field history.

"It hasn't really hit me yet," Dusing said on his accomplishment. "It definitely was exciting. I think my strong finish is a testament to how hard the team trains. The coaching has been great. I've been given an opportunity at Miami where I can succeed."

Sophomore Stephen Biebelhausen ran a 3:53.09 to take second in the 1500-meter run.

In the field events, senior javelin thrower Tyler Yee won the javelin throw with a mark of 199-05, which ties his season best. Junior high jumper Peter Stavinski placed second in the long jump with a leap of 6-08.75.

The Miami women also saw themselves on the podium frequently.

In her first race this season, senior Anna Lamb finished first in the 10k with a time of 37:13.48.

A 12.50 time gave sophomore Briah Owens a third-place finish in the 100-meter dash. Sophomore runner Alexis Jimson-Miller took third in the 200-meter dash with a 25.39 time.

Five other RedHawks finished in second place in their respective events.

In field action, junior high jumper Jessica Baker finished tied for second in the long jump with a person best leap of 5-06.00.

Senior hammer thrower Martha Szekely inched closer to Miami's outdoor hammer throw record after finishing fourth in her event with a throw of 180-08.

In her last three meets, junior shot putter Amelia Strickler has placed first in the shot put. This weekend, Strickler won the event with a personal best 53-11.75 throw.

"There's just something about shot put and wanting a 4 kg ball to go as far as possible," Strickler said. "It's one of those sports where you can still win and still not do your best. Even if you are a national champion, you can still not throw as far as you want to. You always want more."

The men's team returns to action Saturday at the Hoosier Invitational in Bloomington, Indiana. The women's team takes a one-week break from competition and returns to the field April 22 for the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa.