April 21, 2008

Athens, OH (UWIRE) -- Ohio's distance runners came through with their biggest weekend when the team needed it most.

The Bobcats used six top-10 finishes from the distance team to earn points at this weekend's All-Ohio Championships, which would prove valuable as the throwers struggled. Usually the Bobcats' most reliable point-getters, the throwers turned in only two top-five finishes.

"You could say it was a down weekend for us, but I still think we performed well," thrower Emily Amendola said. "You always want to finish higher, but we had a lot of people come through for us. It was a good all-around performance."

The Bobcats finished sixth out of 12 teams at the All-Ohio Championships, one of the outdoor season's biggest meets. With 56.5 team points, they beat out Mid-American Conference foes Toledo and Bowling Green, who finished ninth and 11th, respectively.

Ohio finished nearly 20 points better than Ohio State, an early favorite to win the title.

Carime Reinhart finished second in the 5,000-meter run to get the Bobcats going. Celia Struble took fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and teammate Jenielle Hunt was right behind in fifth.

Brittany Vinson and Kristi Sturges had season-best marks in the long jump and triple jump, respectively.

After carrying the load for the majority of the season, the shoulders of the field athletes may have needed some cortisone.

Bahiyjaui Allen was the top finisher for the throwers, taking fourth in the shot put. The only other top-five in throws was Jessie Tanner, a fifth-place finish in the javelin.

"We had girls make it into the finals in every event, giving us a chance to place," Amendola said. "That was really outstanding for us as a group."

Akron was the overall champion with 187.33 team points. The host Cincinnati Bearcats finished second with 134 points.