Men’s HL Dominance, All-Americans, Nationals Qualifier Highlight Memorable Outdoor Season
7/1/2024 11:24:00 AM | Track and Field
During the 2024 outdoor season, the Youngstown State men's and women's track and field teams sent two athletes to the NCAA Championships, had 11 athletes compete in 12 events at the NCAA East Prelims, picked up their fifth straight men's title and had a top-20 finisher at the U.S. Olympic Team Track and Field Trials.
Jakari Lomax represented the Guins at the U.S. Olympic Trials placing an impressive 18th in the triple jump. At the NCAA Championships, Esther Solarin finished 19th in the triple jump while Luke Laubacher 21st in the 110m hurdles giving the Guins a pair of Honorable-Mention All-Americans.
The Penguins sent 11 athletes to the NCAA East Preliminary Round including Erin Bogard (pole vault), Melana Schumaker (pole vault), Dorian Chaigneau (pole vault), Blake Sifferlin (pole vault), Jakari Lomax (triple jump/long jump), Esther Solarin (triple jump), Harry Barton (400m hurdles), Luke Laubacher (110m hurdles), Ryan Henry (shot put), Dominic Perry (shot put) and Molly Radcliffe (discus).
The men's program raced to their fifth straight league title and eighth overall, scoring the second-highest point total in program history with 294 points and winning by an impressive 102-point margin. The women's program finished second for the fifth time in school history and they have finished first or second in every outdoor meet held since 2004.
U.S. Olympic Trials
- Jakari Lomax finished an impressive 18th in the triple jump at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Lomax had a best leap of 15.48m at the event. He is the fourth athlete in YSU history to compete in the National meet.
NCAA Highlights
- In her first NCAA Championship appearance, Esther Solarin placed 19th in the triple jump. Solarin had a mark of 12.88m in the event. She tied Erin Bogard for the best finish by a YSU women's athlete at the meet.
- In his first NCAA Championship appearance, Luke Laubacher came in 21st in the 110m hurdles. Laubacher ran a time of 13.86 seconds in his race.
- It marked the eighth consecutive year that the Guins have had an athlete compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
- The Penguins had seven athletes place in the top 20 at the NCAA East Prelims.
- Esther Solarin finished seventh in the triple jump while Luke Laubacher was 12th in the 110m hurdles as both athletes advanced to the NCAA Championships. Laubacher qualified by 0.001 seconds. Solarin set a school record of 13.09m on her first attempt to easily advance.
- In the men's pole vault, Blake Sifferlin was 16th and Dorian Chaignean was 20th. In the women's pole vault, Erin Bogard placed 18th. In the women's discus, Molly Radcliffe was 18th and Harry Barton was 20th in the 400m Hurdles.
Record-Breaking Performances
- Esther Solarin set the school marks in the long and triple jump during the campaign. In the triple jump, she finished with a best leap of 13.08m which came at the NCAA East Prelims. She originally broke the record on March 29 at the Raleigh Relays. In the long jump, she broke the school mark with a leap of 6.04m on April 5 at the Miami Hurricanes Alumni Invitational. She added a wind-aided mark of 6.10m at the Horizon League Championships.
- Bogard ended her career as the program's record holder in the pole vault, clearing 4.30m at the Miami Hurricanes Alumni Open. Bogard opened the year with the school mark of 4.20m.
- Molly Radcliffe increased her school record in the discus to 52.90m. She had originally set a new mark on April 26 at the Ashland Alumni Invitational with a toss of 52.15m.
- For the year, the women had 13 top-10 marks in program history.
- On May 5, Harry Barton ran a time of 45.96 seconds in the 400m at the Horizon League Championships to smash the school record. The mark of 47.53 seconds set by Adam Kagarise had been held since April 2008.
- In his final race as a Penguin, Hunter Christopher lowered his school record in the 5,000m with a time of 13:50.89 at the Sound Running Track Fest in Los Angeles on May 11.
- Jakari Lomax extended his school record to 15.83m in the triple jump with at the Miami Hurricanes Alumni Invitational on April 6.
- For the year, the men had an impressive 33 top-10 marks in program history.
