Sweet 3-peat: Bolt leads YSU to team crown

The Penguins finished second in the men's competition.
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Youngstown State women's track and field squad used a strong second day and three specialty award winners to win its third straight Horizon League outdoor championship Friday.
Trailing UW-Milwaukee by 26 points heading into the final day, Youngstown State outscored the Panthers 163 to 126 to win by 11 points and claim its fifth overall title in three years.
Junior Danielle Bolt was named the meet's Outstanding Running Performer after winning the 100-meter dash, anchoring the winning 4x100 relay and placing fourth in the 200.
Bethany Anderson won the shot put and the hammer to earn Outstanding Field Performer honors, and Katie Betts was named Running Newcomer of the Year after placing second in the 100, third in the 200 and running in both winning relays.
The win was YSU's 14th overall championship in coach Brian Gorby's 13 seasons.
Gorby accepted his sixth Horizon League coach of the year award on behalf of the entire staff.
Strong performances
Two other Penguins picked up individual victories. Satara Freeman won the 100 hurdles (14.35 seconds) and Katy Williams won the discus (135 feet, 3 inches).
Bolt and Betts paced a strong sprints group that scored 73 points. Bolt ran 11.94 in the 100 to edge UW-Milwaukee's Timeka Walker for the top spot.
Betts (12.12) was third and Ashley Oliver and Darcelle Formby placed fifth.
Betts ran 24.83 to place second ahead of Jeanna Cunningham and Bolt in the 200. Cunningham placed second in the 400 (56.15), and Kari Kreutzfeld was fourth (59.26).
Cunningham ran the first leg of both relays and was joined by Betts, Yandeh Joh and Bolt in the 4x100, and Kreutzfeld, Joh and Betts in the 4x400.
In the distance events, Emily Cicero placed third in the steeplechase (11:41.89) and Shantel Jackson placed fifth in the 800 (2:20.23).
In addition to Freeman's winning time of 14.35 in the 100 hurdles, Joh placed third (14.78) and finished second in the 400 hurdles (1:03.39).
In the field events, Joh set the school record in the long jump (18-93/4), Jen Grayson tied the school record and placed second in the high jump (5-53/4), and Carly Youlton finished one spot behind Joh in the long jump (18-6) and placed third in the triple jump (37-111/4).
In the shot put, Anderson won with 44-31/2, Lindsey Hill finished second (42-31/4) and Amy Hill was fourth (40-61/4).
Jacquline Clonch finished second in the discus (133-5) and Amy Hill was fifth (126-0).
Amy Hill added a third in the hammer (147-9) and Lindsey Cobey placed fourth (143-5).
Lindsey Hill placed fourth in the javelin (113-0).
Grayson added a second-place score of 4,195 points in heptathlon.
All event winners are eligible to compete at the NCAA Mideast Regional, which begins May 26 at the University of Tennessee.
Men place second
INDIANAPOLIS -- Senior Jarrod Davis was named Outstanding Field Performer and Aaron Merrill was named Field Newcomer of the Year as the YSU men's squad placed second at the Horizon League championship.
Davis set YSU and Horizon League records in the hammer (191-2) and took the top spot in the javelin (175-5).
Merrill won the shot put with a school-record mark of 53-101/4.
UW-Milwaukee claimed the team title with 254 points, followed by YSU (182) and UIC (100).
Derek Riker won the pole vault (15-5) and Marty Vieth won the high jump (6-31/4).
Joe Lahmon placed second behind Davis in the hammer (168-8) and third in the javelin (168-9).
Davis finished third in the discus (140-9) and Drew Weizer was fourth (158-7).
In the sprints, Scott Streiner placed second in the 200 (21.99) and the 400 (49.68). Jeremiah Wright was third in the 100 (10.99) and Damian Wright was fourth (11.00).
Justin Carolyne finished second (55.95) in the 400 hurdles and Adam Lewis was third in the 100 hurdles (15.42).
Seniors Dave Mealy finished second in the 10,000 (31:29.14) and Nick Smith was runner-up in the steeplechase.
J.D. Sheppard was fourth in the 800 (1:55.03) and R.D. Goodright was fifth (1:56.25). Goodright was also fourth in the 1,500 (3:59.71), and Nick Kruse was fifth (4:00.26). Mealy was also fifth in the 5,000 (15:07.64).
In the jumps, Mike Perri was third in the high jump (5-103/4), and Shayne York was fourth in the triple jump (44-9).