TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women's track and field team will head up to Kanley Track in Kalamazoo, Mich. for the 2022 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships this weekend. The meet is hosted by Western Michigan and will run Thursday-Saturday, May 12-14.

Head Coach Andrea Grove-McDonough expects her team to be very competitive, particularly in the distance events.

"We have some athletes that are capable of winning conference championships," Grove-McDonough said. "Ultimately, we want to finish in the top half of the conference."

Grove-McDonough has decided to have her top long distance runners run in only one event. Senior Stephanie Sherman and junior Faith Linga will run the 10,000m on Thursday but will sit out the 5,000m two days later.

"No.1, it is going to be extremely hot, and No. 2 both of them have a great chance to advance to the national championship, which is less than two weeks later," Grove-McDonough said. "We really want to make sure we're giving them the opportunity to put up points on the board for us that we need in a team setting, but also to allow them that opportunity to advance on to a national championship, which is something that is important to us and the program."

Toledo expects to score points in the other distance events, as well. Senior Semra Karaslan and sophomore Emily Vining enter as the No. 2 and No. 4 seeds of the 3000m steeplechase on Friday, and will be back on the track for the 1500m the next day. The Rockets have three runners seeded in the top-10 of the 800m, including freshman Margrett Watt, who is making her conference championship debut, and sophomores Krystal Clark and Sarah-Rose Sullivan. Sophomore Lou Trois will enter the meet as the No. 1 seed for the 1500m. Trois will double for the 5K with straight runner sophomore Madeline Vining as the No. 2 seed.

A number of sprinters and field event athletes have qualified to compete in their respective events. Grove-McDonough said the meet will be a great opportunity for them to gain more experience as well as score points for the team.

Sophomore Promise Cross will compete in the high jump as well as the hurdle races, while freshman Amara Okpalaoka will focus in on the triple and long jumps. Senior pole vaulter Madeline Barnes will look to replicate her performance  from the Indoor MAC Championships back in late February, when she came in fifth place.

"That is a super young group and a pretty inexperienced group. We are really happy that some of them were able to qualify into those individual events," Grove-McDonough commented. "They'll get a chance to experience a championship setting and get a feel for it so that hopefully when they are in a position to score, they'll be ready for it."

In this outdoor season, the Rockets have produced 76 top-10 finishes, four of them being event winners and 10 runner-up spots. Also, this outdoor season, 12 Rockets have produced 19 new all-time top-10 performances.

This is the first MAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship Meet since 2019. The past two meets were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toledo at MAC Outdoor Championship Meets

• Toledo has competed in the MAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships every season since 1982, and has yet to win a title. The 2012 squad came the closest to a championship, recording 132 team points for a runner-up finish behind Kent State, which had 134.33 team points.
• UT holds the meet records for four events, including the 1500m (Janelle Noe, 2018), 3000m Steeplechase (Brianna Shook, 2004), 100m hurdles (Amika Edwards, 1997), and the long jump (Candice Campbell, 1992).
• UT Hall of Fame sprinter and jumper Shantel Ransom recorded three individual victories in the 1990 tournament, the third most in MAC Outdoor Championship history, and collected nine total in her career from 1987-91.
• The Most Valuable Performer has been awarded to a Rocket four times in program history, the last being Emma Kertesz in 2012. And two Rockets have been named Most Outstanding Performer, Shantel Ransom (1990) and Briana Shook (2002).

2022 MAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Western Michigan | Kanley Track
May 12-14 | Live Results

Championship participants: Akron (M/W), Ball State (W), Bowling Green (W), Buffalo (M/W), Central Michigan (W), Eastern Michigan (M/W), Kent State (M/W), Miami (M/W), Northern Illinois (W), Ohio (W), Toledo (W), and Western Michigan (W).

Women's Event Schedule:
Day 1: Thursday, May 12
Heptathlon
11:30 AM- 100m Hurdles
12:30 PM - High Jump – 2
2:30 PM - Shot Put
4:00 PM - 200m

Field Events
12:00 PM - Javelin Trials/Finals
4:30 PM - Hammer Trials/Finals
 
Running Events
4:50 PM - 1500m Trials
5:25 PM - 400m Hurdles Trials
6:00 PM - 200m Trials
7:00 PM - 10,000m Final
 
Day 2: Friday, May 13
Heptathlon
12:00 PM - Long Jump (2 pits)
1:30 PM - Javelin
3:00 PM - 800m
 
Field Events
3:00 PM - Shot Put Trials/Finals
3:00 PM - Long Jump Trials/Finals
3:00 PM - Pole Vault Trials/Finals
 
Running Events
3:30 PM - 110 Hurdles Trials
4:00 PM - 400m Trials
4:35 PM - 100m Trials
5:10 PM - 800m Trials
6:05 PM - 3000m Steeplechase Final
 
Day 3: Saturday, May 14
Field Events
11:30 AM - Triple Jump Trials/Finals
12:30 PM - Discuss Trials/Finals
2:30 PM - High Jump Trials/Finals
 
Running Events – All Finals
1:10 PM - 4x100m Relay
1:35 PM - 1500m
2:00 PM - 110m Hurdles
2:20 PM - 400m
2:40 PM - 100m
3:00 PM - 800m
3:30 PM - 400m Hurdles
3:55 PM - 200m
4:25 PM - 5000m
5:00 PM - 4x400 Relay