Ferris State Posts NCAA National-Qualifying Times In Weekend Action

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's and women's indoor track and field squads took part in one of the larger indoor Division II track meets in the country this past weekend as the Bulldogs competed in the Hillsdale Wide Track Classic on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 7-8) in Hillsdale, Mich.

The event took place inside the Margot V. Biermann Athletic Center on the Hillsdale campus and included student-athletes from many of the region's programs at various levels of competition. It took place on the same track in which the 2014 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Indoor Championships will be held in early March.

Ferris State won the championship section of the women's 4x800-meter relay in a time of 9:45.20 with the winning foursome consisting of junior Samantha Johnson, senior Breeann Ovokaitys, senior Alyssa Osika and sophomore Rachel Wood.

Senior Anna Rudd led the way for the women's team individually by earning runner-up honors in the 3,000 meter run championship section (9:54.86) while topping the NCAA Division II national provisional qualification time in the race.

Johnson also surpassed the national-qualifying time in placing third overall in the championship section of the 800 meters (2:16.23). Meanwhile, Osika finished sixth in the same event (2:18.72) while narrowly missing the national provisional mark by less than a second.

The Bulldog women also earned fourth-place honors in the distance medley relay while reaching the national-qualifying time with a showing of 12:01.72 overall. The quartet included Ovokaitys, Zoey Hohmann, Osika and Johnson.

Sophomore Richelle Payea placed seventh in the 800 meters (2:28.72) while junior Shea Van Klompenberg recorded a 10th-place finish in the women's 400 meters (1:01.06).

Ferris State's women also took eighth place in the 4x400-meter relay championship section (4:12.23) with a lineup of Hohmann, junior Gabby Baur, Payea and Van Klompenberg.

On the men's side, senior Bill King claimed runner-up honors in the 800 meters (1:59.30) while breaking the two-minute mark in the race. Senior Alex Bladecki came in 10th overall in the same race (2:01.77).

FSU's Spencer Gerber came in eighth overall in the men's 3,000 meters (8:56.06). Ryan Stankey took eighth place in the men's shot put (48-7.50) and Bladecki placed ninth in the championship section of the one mile run (4:25.04).

The Bulldog men's team of King, Gerber, senior Brian Murphy and freshman Hunter Redman placed third in the 4x800-meter relay (8:15.37).

Next up for the Bulldog men's and women's teams is the "Big Meet" hosted by Grand Valley State University on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 14-15, in Allendale, Mich.