LOUISVILLE, Ky. / ALLENDALE, Mich. - Oakland split its squad for a busy weekend of competition, sending a select group to the Clark Wood/Jim Freeman Invitational at the University of Louisville (Apr. 24-25) while the remainder of the roster competed at the Grand Valley State Extra Weekend Meet. Across both meets, the Golden Grizzlies delivered a strong showing highlighted by program records set by Ja-Van Poole, Jamie Giese, and Simon Griemert.

Clark Wood/Jim Freeman Invitational (Louisville)

Oakland's small but impactful group in Louisville was led by a historic performance from Ja-Van Poole, who stole the spotlight in the hurdles.

Poole captured first place in the men's 400m hurdles with a blazing 49.80, setting a new program record while also posting the seventh-fastest time in the nation this season. He added another strong finish in the men's 110m hurdles, placing seventh (14.40).

Kylei Anderson turned in a well-rounded performance across three events, led by a fourth-place finish in the women's 100m hurdles (13.63). She also placed 10th in the long jump (5.75m) and 13th in the shot put (12.09m).

On the sprints side, Evan Bryan competed in both short sprint events, clocking 10.59 in the men's 100m and 22.24 in the men's 200m. Lauren Goodman mirrored that effort on the women's side, running 12.08 in the 100m and 24.77 in the 200m.

Grand Valley State Extra Weekend Meet

Back in Michigan, Oakland's larger contingent produced depth across all event areas with strong performances on the track and in the field.

In the sprints and hurdles, Nataliia Bohn competed in three events, recording times of 14.93 in the 100m hurdles, 25.65 in the 200m, and 1:07.41 in the 400m hurdles. Austin Graham placed seventh in the men's 110m hurdles (15.22) and seventh in the 400m hurdles (54.80). Justice Stewart ran 22.79 in the 200m and placed ninth in the 400m (49.64). On the women's side, Olivia Reynolds placed eighth in the 400m (58.42) and also competed in the 200m (25.68), while A'naia Herd posted 26.24 in the 200m and 59.29 in the 400m. Lauren Walker added a 59.22 effort in the 400m.

Oakland's throws group delivered multiple podium finishes throughout the meet. Jamie Giese led the way with a pair of third-place finishes in the shot put (14.99m) and discus (41.88m). Jada Ewell recorded marks of 33.82m in the discus and 36.54m in the hammer throw. On the men's side, Blake Foster placed sixth in the hammer throw (50.29m), while Conner Cherney threw 40.63m in the hammer and placed 10th in the shot put (13.80m). In the women's hammer, Elizabeth Rice placed sixth (53.48m), followed by Lainee Wagner in eighth (44.74m) and Destiny DeJarnett (36.61m).

In the jumps and vault events, Xavier Davis continued his strong season, winning the men's triple jump (13.84m) and placing fourth in the long jump (6.73m). In the pole vault, Simon Griemert cleared 4.46m for a sixth-place finish, setting a new school record. On the women's side, Victoria Sanders placed third (3.36m), while Genna Golab (3.21m) and Allison Shelton (3.06m) also competed.

Oakland's distance group showed depth across multiple events. In the 800m, Tyler Donovan placed seventh (1:52.16), followed by Pierce Grzymkowski in eighth (1:52.28) and Collin McLaughkin in 10th (1:52.99), while Josh Cundy (1:55.01) also competed. In the 1500m, Mamdouh Abukaram placed ninth (3:56.97), followed by Colin Farmer (3:58.10), while Grace Wessel ran 4:43.55 in the women's race. In the steeplechase, Wesley Hollowell placed fifth in the men's 3k (9:16.09), while Anne May (11:11.34) and Eliza Bush (11:16.44) competed in the women's event.