DELAWARE – Competing at the site of the 2014 NCAA Division III championships, sophomore Marissa Bolen got closer to returning next week when the championships begin.

Bolen (Gibsonburg, OH/Gibsonburg) finished second in the shot put at the Ron Althoff Invitational at Ohio Wesleyan University. On her fourth attempt, she had a toss of 13.46 meters, which is 22nd nationally. With the top 22 women qualifying for the national meet, Bolen is right on the cusp of her first NCAA berth. She will have one more opportunity to improve her distance and qualify.

Senior Christian Patterson (Cincinnati, OH/Norwood) won the high jump with a height of 6-9. He is in excellent position to make the NCAA outdoor meet for the fourth straight season. His season-best performance of 6-10.25 is seventh best in the country.

The 4x400 team of Jeremy Duncan (Cincinnati, OH/Archbishop Moeller), Jake Simpkins (Germantown, OH/Valley View), Derek Kilgo (Charlotte, NC/North Royalton) and Jake Sydnor (Owensville, OH/Clermont Northeastern) finished with a time of 3:16.74, leaving them 1.7 seconds away from qualifying.

All of the participants will travel to the Louisville Twilight meet Friday in an attempt to reach the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships.