Ashland track and field traveled to Youngstown State for the YSU Invitational on Jan. 24 and left with a lot of top finishes. AU was one of 26 schools to have athletes participate in the competition.

The Eagles had a mix of sprinters and throwers that took top spots on the podium. 

The men’s 800 meters was completely dominated by Ashland, as the top five finishers were all Eagles. Drew Windle took first (1:50.59), Brian Baum was second (1:53.49), Joshua Davis took third (1:53.43),  Zaan Janse placed fourth (1:53.64), and Nick Hall took fifth (1:53.73). 

Jacob Cook finished first in the 400 meters, with a time of 48.26 and Jordan Hoppel won the 200 meters in 22.04. Elijha Owens took first in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.96. 

The men’s 4×4 relay team also took first place (3:14.17) and the women’s 4×4 took third (3:59.89). 

One of the best individual performances of the day for Ashland was that of thrower Zac Ball. 

Ball placed first in the weight throw with a throw of 21.34 meters (70-00.25 feet), becoming just the sixth member in the history of AU track and field to throw 70 feet. The throw was also a facility record. 

In the shot put, Donald Duke took second with a 58-10.75 foot throw. Jason Zahn took third (57-11.25) and Zac Papay took fourth (52-8). 

Jessica Bridenthal took first place in both the weight throw (64-1.25) and shot put (49.175). Kim Habegger’s 63-3.50 throw was good for second in the weight and Jaime Sindelar took second in the shot put at 48-6.25. 

AU’s next competition will be at Findlay this Saturday.