By Grace Ostuni
Staff Writer
The Franciscan University track and field team competed at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships and placed sixth overall on Thursday, Feb. 22.
Junior Alexander Blose set a personal and school record in the 60-meter hurdles, qualifying for the finals Blose improved further with a time of 8.54 seconds in the finals and earned a bronze medal.
Freshmen Andrew Menck and Luke Tran ran in the 60-meter dash, both achieving personal records. Menck placed 10th with a time of 7.19 seconds, and Tran placed 28th with a time of 7.74 seconds.
Menck also competed in the 200-meter, placing sixth on the podium.
Four freshman Barons ran the mile: Seamus Sommers, Thomas Dittmer, Eduardo Torres and Dominic Young. Each ran personal best times.
Young also competed in the 800-meter, placing 16th with a time of 2:16.84.
Two Barons placed on the podium for the 400-meter. Graduate student Ryan Ozymy placed second with a time of 49.72, and junior Joseph Rohde placed fourth with 50.20.
Dittmer and Torres ran in the 3000-meter. Torres placed 19th with a time of 10:12.29, and Dittmer claimed 21st place.
The Baron’s best race of the day was the 4×400 meter relay. Sophomore Dwayne Gethard, Rohde, sophomore John Sicree and Ozymy broke the school record with a time of 3:23.81 and won gold.
Alexander Blose placed on the podium in the pole vault. He placed third, taking a second bronze.
Four Barons threw in the shot put: sophomore Nicholas Brass, junior Charles Jardine, senior Tyson Smith Jr. and freshman Raphe Blose. Two placed on the podium.
Brass broke his own school record with a throw of 13.82 meters, placing fifth. Jardine placed seventh.
Next weekend, a few Barons will compete in the Final Qualifier at Mount Union, fighting to qualify for the NCAA National Championships.