Track and Field

The Ashland track and field programs fill up five banners in Kates Gymnasium with top-level placements in the national tournaments. Indoor, outdoor, men’s, women’s, it has not mattered for Jud Logan’s programs, and this year is no different.

The men took second place at the NCAA Indoor meet March 7-9, scoring 59.5 points.

Sophomore Drew Windle was named National Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, winning the 800-meter run. He owns three of the top eight times in NCAA Division II history.

Windle also was a member of the national championship 1600m-relay team, joining senior Cory Lamar and juniors Jacob Cook and Keith Cleveland on the championship team.

Senior Richard Quick won the national crown in the weight throw with his winning mark of 68-feet, 3.25-inches. This was Quick’s first national title in his last indoor meet of his career.

Along with the national championship winners, several other AU athletes placed highly at the meet.

Cleveland was third in the 400m and seventh in the 800m. Sophomore Brian Baum was third in the mile, sophomore Elijah Owens was seventh in the 60m hurdles and senior Eric Klucar tied for eighth in the pole vault.

The Eagles led the meet going into the last day, but a strong finish from Saint Augustine’s pushed past them. Saint Augustine’s scored 72 points and Adams State finished third with 55 points.

The women’s team also performed very well, finishing fifth despite only sending eight athletes to the meet. Ashland scored 37 points, behind the Academy of Art’s winning score of 59 points.

Senior Katie Nageotte led Ashland with the first national championship of her career in the pole vault, vaulting 13-feet, 11.25-inches.

Senior Kendra Bassitt finished fourth in the pentathlon, and AU got runner-up finishes from sophomore Jennifer Foster in the pole vault and sophomore Jessica Bridenthal in the shot put.

The men’s team ended the indoor season with 18 All-Americans, while the women earned six All-American honors. This year equals the best finish at the indoor meet for the Ashland men, tying their second place finish from 2011. This continues a remarkable streak of scoring in 26 consecutive indoor meets.

Wrestling

Freshman Michael Labry and sophomore Joe Brandt earned All-America honors at the national meet.

Labry finished fourth at 133 pounds and Brandt took seventh at 197. The results were good enough to secure 15th place in the overall team standings with 19.5 points.

Swimming

Outside of the performance by senior Julie Widmann (above), Ashland’s top swimmer at the national meet was freshman Hannah Mattar. She took third in the 200-yard breaststroke.

Senior Cheyne Fisher took 10th in the 200 breaststroke and 12th in the 100 breaststroke.

Junior Alex Sheil placed ninth in the 200 freestyle.

The women finished 12th and the men took 22nd.