The Ashland University indoor track & field teams got off to a bright start on Day 1 of the NCAA Division II Championships in Pittsburg, Kan. on Friday (March 9).
The Eagles had three athletes distinguish themselves as All-Americans in the weight throw, which was one of only a few events that completed its finals on Friday.
For the men, sophomore Alex Hill finished second in the event by just 0.01 meters with a heave of 20.98 meters.
Freshman Brent Fairbanks (19.36 meters) placed 10th in the weight throw, while sophomore Nick Zak (18.19 meters) was 14th in the nation.
On the women's side, junior Natalie Helenthal earned a third-place finish in the weight throw with a top mark of 19.50 meters. She came into the event ranked fifth in the nation in the event.
Junior Mackenzie Leigh also earned All-America status in the weight throw, finishing eighth in the country with a toss of 18.81 meters.
Freshman Gianna DiPippo was 14th in the event with a mark of 17.91 meters.
Also, senior Hannah Bartlome was 16th in the high jump, clearing 1.67 meters.
In Friday's prelims, junior Myles Pringle stood out by breaking his own school record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.17 seconds. He also qualified for the finals in the 400-meter dash, clocking in at 46.65 seconds.
Freshman Trevor Bassitt finished in 13th place in the 60-meter hurdles prelims with a time of 8.09 seconds.
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