ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies wrapped up competition at the 2026 Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Sunday, May 10, closing out a strong three-day performance with multiple podium finishes and event titles.
Oakland opened the final day in the field events, where
Elizabeth Rice earned runner-up honors in the women's hammer throw with a toss of 53.89m.
Jamie Giese followed closely behind in third place at 50.17m, while Destiny DeJarnett added points with a seventh-place finish at 48.15m. On the men's side,
Blake Foster placed fourth in the hammer throw with a mark of 51.79m.
Simon Griemert added to the scoring total in the men's pole vault, clearing 4.19m to finish seventh overall.
The distance squad continued its strong weekend in the women's 1500m final as
Eliza Bush placed fifth with a freshman record time of 4:33.71.
Haileigh Bissett also scored for Oakland, taking eighth in 4:48.83.
Oakland saw success in both hurdle events as
Austin Graham and
Ja-Van Poole competed in the men's 110m hurdles final. Graham finished sixth in 14.80 seconds, narrowly ahead of Poole in seventh at 14.82 seconds.
Poole later defended his title in the men's 400m hurdles, capturing his second consecutive Horizon League championship in the event with a winning time of 51.69 seconds. Graham also scored in the event, placing eighth.
Kylei Anderson continued her standout championship performance by earning third place in the women's 100m hurdles final with a time of 13.79 seconds.
Justice Stewart contributed another point for the Golden Grizzlies in the men's 400m final, placing eighth in 49.70 seconds.
In the sprint finals,
Evan Bryan and
Lauren Goodman each placed sixth in their respective 100m finals, clocking times of 10.97 seconds and 11.99 seconds.
The Golden Grizzlies dominated the men's 800m final, claiming spots two through four.
Tyler Donovan led the trio with a runner-up finish in 1:51.30, followed closely by
Pierce Grzymkowski in third at 1:51.41 and
Collin McLaughlin in fourth with a time of 1:52.20.
Hannah Fisher added a fifth-place finish in the women's 800m final, crossing in 2:14.34.
In the 5,000m races,
Wesley Hollowell finished sixth in the men's race with a time of 14:31.80, while Bush capped off an impressive weekend with a sixth-place finish in the women's race at 17:13.10.
Oakland closed the championships in the 4x400m relays, where the men's squad finished fourth in 3:19.62 and the women's team placed fifth with a time of 3:53.47.
At the conclusion of the championships, the Oakland men's team finished fourth overall with 72 points, while Youngstown State captured the men's team title with 264 points. On the women's side, Oakland placed sixth with 70 points as Youngstown State also claimed the women's championship with 172 points.
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