GIULIANO SETS SCHOOL RECORD, ONU TRACK & FIELD TEAMS OPEN UP INDOOR SEASON
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University men's and women's track & field teams opened up their 2022-23 indoor seasons when they hosted the ONU Holiday Open at the Perry Center Saturday afternoon.
Competitors from Trinity Christian, Judson, Elmhurst, Wheaton, North Park, Illinois College, and the Illinois Track Club took part in the meet. No team score was kept.
Men's meet
Vince Giuliano kicked his junior season off in dramatic fashion by collecting golds in both the 200m dash and the 60m dash, setting a new school record in the latter. He blitzed out a 6.86 time to win the event and break a seven-year-old record set by Zach Gordan in 2015 (6.87). Giuliano then ran an adjusted time of 21.45 to win the 200m dash as the only runner to break the 22-second threshold. Both times are NAIA-A standards, punching his ticket to nationals for both events.
Max Grant kept the NAIA-A standard train rolling with an adjusted time of 1:54.00 in the 800m dash to qualify for the national meet. This was a lifetime personal best for Grant. He was joined on the podium by his teammates Mabaraka Mmbumba in second place (2:20.35) and Chapman Neal in third place (2:05.07).
Erik Richter was the top runner in the 1-mile run, clocking in at 4:23.82 to win the event. Brett Hulliberger placed third with a time of 4:34.73. In the 400m dash, Alex Powell placed third overall with a time of 52.88. Aaron Hutchins placed third in the 60m hurdles, blitzing to a time of 9.22.
Noah Sears set the top mark of the day in the pole vault, clearing 4.50m to take the gold. Brody Vollrath tossed a 13.90m shot put to place second before blasting off a 14.82m throw to win the weight throw.
Women's meet
Kimberly Brent opened up the meet with a third-place finish in the 60m dash at 7.89. The Tigers went on to sweep the podium in the 200m dash, with Linda Griffith crossing the finish line first (25.28), Brent finishing second (25.68), and Hannah Antkoviak taking third (25.72). Antkoviak and Griffith then picked up top finishes in the 60m hurdles, with Antkoviak finishing runner-up at 9.01 and Griffith placing third at 9.20.
Griffith's time in the 200m dash hit the NAIA-A standard, punching her ticket to nationals in the event, while also clearing the B-standard in the 60m hurdles. Antkoviak hit the NAIA-B standards in both events, while Brent cleared the NAIA-B standard in the 200m.
ONU swept the podium again, this time in the 1-mile run. Thaliya Martinez took the top spot with a time of 5:34.83, while Eleanor Fournier (5:39.57) and Heidi Heldt (5:40.68) finished second and third, respectively.
Olivia Earl was the top performer in the pole vaulter, clearing high mark of the day at 3.27m. Ellie Schoon placed third overall in the pole vault for clearing 2.97m. Hailey Perrine placed third in two field events, hitting a 5.22m mark in the long jump and a 10.30m mark in the triple jump.
Courtney Hall and Lana Krohe teamed up to 1-2 in the shot put, with Hall taking the top spot at 12.06m and Krohe placing second at 11.58m. Hall turned around to pick up a second-place finish in the weight throw with a 15.78m toss. Elizabeth Treadway placed third in the weight throw at 13.88m.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The ONU track & field teams will continue their young indoor seasons at the GVSU Holiday Open, hosted by Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich. on Friday, Dec. 3.
--ONU—
*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu
