Ferris State Posts Five NCAA-Qualifying Marks At GLIAC Indoor Championships

Ferris State Posts Five NCAA-Qualifying Marks At GLIAC Indoor Championships

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's and women's indoor track and field teams posted five NCAA Division II national-qualifying performances as the Bulldogs competed in the 2014 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Indoor Championships on Saturday and Sunday (March 1-2) in Hillsdale, Mich.

The annual league meet was hosted by Hillsdale College at the Margot V. Biermann Athletic Center located next to the George Roche Sports Complex on campus. In all, the championship meet featured 15 of the 16 members of the conference.

The Ferris State women's team tallied 23 points in the two-day meet to finish ninth overall in the final team standings with the men's team picking up four points in the event.

The Bulldog women were led by senior Anna Rudd, who broke the Biermann facility record and reached a NCAA Division II national-qualifying time in winning the 3,000 meters (9:42.34).

Senior Alyssa Osika took seventh place in the 800 meters (2:16.58) while topping the national provisional qualification standard.

Meanwhile, Breeann Ovokaitys also recorded a national provisional qualifying time in finishing eighth overall in the mile run (5:05.01).

In relay action, the foursome of Rudd, Osika and Ovokaitys teamed up with senior Zoey Hohmann to place third overall in the distance medley relay as the quartet topped the national-qualifying standard with a clocking of 11:51.50 in the race.

Additionally, the quartet of Hohmann, Gabby Baur, Shea Van Klompenberg along with Osika placed fifth in the 4x400-meter relay (3:58.32).

The men's squad was paced by its distance medley relay team, which also surpassed the national provisional standard in placing sixth overall (10:14.79). The group consisted of seniors Connor LaRowe, Brian Murphy and Alex Bladecki along with junior Spencer Gerber.

Senior David Silversmith placed eighth overall in the men's 3,000 meters (8:41.76) and also just missed placing in the 5,000 meters by taking ninth place overall (15:15.16).

Four men's teams and four women's teams from the conference were in the top 25 of the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association computer rankings entering the meet, including the Ferris State women's team which is ranked 21st overall in the nation's Division II listing. 

The NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships are slated for March 14-15 in Winston-Salem, N.C., and the announcement of the official national meet participants will be announced later this week.