Raiders open outdoor season on a strong note

Friday, March 17

Oxford, OH

Wright State University

Blizzard Buster

Photo by: Callista Hess

3/17/2023 8:32:00 PM | Track & Field

The Wright State men's and women's track and field program opened its outdoor season at the Miami Blizzard Buster on Friday at the George L. Rider Track. The Raiders totaled eight top-five marks, including a pair of runner-up finishes at the meet.

Ian Johnson headlined the Raider men, as he earned second overall with a time of 3:55.85 in the 1,500-meter run. The newcomer claimed third in the Raider Top-10 list with the runner-up mark. Tayton Hess (24th, 4:07.41), Nathan Childs (45th, 4:43.80), and Jacob Wellman (48th, 5:06.35) also ran in the event.

Wright State had a strong showing in the 3,000-meter run, led by Alex McCarty's third-place of 8:41.21 and Max Pettit in 11th (8:57.50).

Patrick Statzer broke two minutes in the 800-meter run, finishing fifth overall with a time of 1:59.59. The time was good for eighth in the Raider Top-10 list. Michael Cole took 13th at 2:01.61, followed by John Steimle in 20th at 2:13.73. In the 400-meter dash, Mohamed Bilal raced to ninth place (52.63).

The quartet of Ethan Neblock (11th, 15:42.03), Ryan Cooper (17th, 15:59.76), Jacob Poling (23rd, 16:12.67), and Alan Fullenkamp (24th, 16:13.05) took part in the 5,000-meter run.

Andy Neff cleared 1.70 meters in the high jump, good for fourth overall.

On the women's side, Cierra Lively was second overall in the high jump with a clearance of 1.50 meters. Tatiana Brown was 11th in the event at 1.25 meters.

The Raiders racked up three top-10 finishes in the 5,000-meter run, as Kaitlyn Miller was fourth (18:03.37), Emma Johnson was sixth (18:16.21), and Emma Shigley was ninth (18:32.68).

In the triple jump, Callista Hess earned third overall with a clearance of 10.02 meters. Melissa Siler earned sixth place in the long jump at 5.02 meters, followed by Bekah Robertson in ninth (4.84m) and Briana Morrisette in 13th (4.74m).

Mia Wyngarden took fifth overall with a time of 1:00.15 in the 400-meter dash, followed by Emma Carr in 29th (1:12.18).

Alicia Neumeier paced the Raiders in the 1,500-meter run by placing 13th with a time of 4:52.74. Anna Johnson (30th, 5:16.61) and Nataly Duenas-Diaz (36th, 6:12.78) rounded out WSU competitors in the race.

Kylee Thomas had Wright State's top time in the 100-meter hurdles, placing 15th (16.17). Bekah Robertson followed closely in 17th (16.77) and Hess finished 20th (18.11).

The Raiders will continue their outdoor season at the Yellow Jacket Invitational on Saturday, March 25. A small contingent of runners will compete at the Raleigh Relays from March 23-25.