*Story by David Wahl III
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's track and field team travels to Tiffin, Ohio, for a two-day Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championship Meet. The meet will cap off a successful 2021 indoor and outdoor season for the OAC after a year of no competition.
The Schedule: The meet is slated to take place over the course of May 6th and May 7th with field events beginning in the morning and running events taking place in the afternoon. Thursday the 6th, field events start at 11:00 AM while running events start at 3:10 p.m. Friday the 7th, field events start at 11:00 AM followed by running events at 3:00 p.m.
The Teams: The Quakers will be joined by all teams in the OAC.
The Coach: Ron Combs continues his 23rd season as the head coach of Wilmington's men's and women's track and field teams. Combs has been named Coach of the Year, twice by the Heartland Athletic Conference, and once by the OAC. In 2002, he led the men's indoor team to a sixth-place finish at NCAA DIII Championships.
Who to Watch - Field Events: The throws squad has been the highlight of the season for the Quakers in field events, as the Quad of Joe Shuga, Blake Jamison, Nate Marcum and Andrew Pacifico will split in the hammer throw, discus and shot put. Anthony Gilmore and Max Queen look to jump their way into action in high jump, long jump and triple jump. The javelin group led by Chas O'Connell will look to disrupt the standings.
Who to Watch - Track Events: All eyes are on Sophomore Simon Heys as he ranks top ten in the OAC in the 1,500-meter, 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter run. Ranking fourth in the conference in the 5,000 meter run, Heys will toe the line in the most competitive OAC 5,000 of all time. Freshman duo of Aidan Henson and Eric Reynolds will lead the team in the 800-meter run, while junior duo of George Rickett and Evan Whitaker are both ranked top ten in the conference in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Coverage: Meet information is available - visit the link above. Video coverage for day one and day two are available in the links above. Results will be available after the conclusion of the meet.
Social Media: Wilmington athletics is represented on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics), Twitter (@DubCQuakers) and Instagram (@DubCQuakers). Follow all the happenings of Wilmington College on social media by using the hashtag "#WeAreDubC".
Up Next: Wilmington as a team will head into the offseason with its eyes set on next school year, while a few student-athletes will continue their season in hopes of competing at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina, on May 27th.
