MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College track and field helped kick 2010 Winter Weekend with the Marietta Alumni Open Meet Friday (Feb. 5) evening inside the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center. Eight institutions, representing NCAA Division I, II and III, competed in the annual event. [Results]

West Virginia Wesleyan University won the men's competition after racking up 212 points. Robert Morris University took second with 189 points, and Marietta finished third with 122 points. Ohio University held off Marshall University to win the women's title. The Bobcats accumulated 202.87 points, while the Thundering Hurd finished with 171.75 points. Marietta came in fifth place with 45 points.

Marietta had two individuals and one relay capture first place finishes on Friday. Senior Josh Mickle (Madison, Madison) ran a season's best time in the Mile Run, crossing the line in first place with a time of 4:30.64. In addition, sophomore Kim Keesler (Chagrin Falls, Chagrin Falls) captured first place in the Pole Vault with a mark of 3.48m (11-05.00). The Pioneers also won the men's 4x400m Relay as sophomores Josh Bibb (Marietta, Marietta), Chase Oberfield (Heath, Heath) and Ryan Householder (Frazeysburg, Tri-Valley) combined with freshman Caleb Muller (Columbus, Bexley) to run a time of 3:32.63.

There were a variety of other noteworthy performances on Friday.

Junior Matt Hickman (St. Mary's, W.Va., St. Mary's) placed second in the 200m Dash and met the OAC's A Qualifying Standard by covering the lap in 23.26 seconds. Freshman Willam McCulloch (Nelsonville, York) took fifth in the event with a time of 23.86 seconds, which helped him meet the league's B Qualifying Standard.

Oberfield finished runner-up in the 500m Dash and met the OAC's B Qualifying Standard by crossing the line in 1:09.53.

Senior Chad Byers (New Matamoras, River) threw a new personal record (13.40m/43-11.75) in the Shot Put, which met the OAC's B Qualifying Standard.

Sophomore Ashley Bault (Atwater, Waterloo) improved upon her own school record in the Long Jump on Friday. She finished third with a mark of 5.33m, which moved her up the list of athletes to meet the OAC's A Qualifying Standard in the event.

Sophomore Corryn Muench (Cold Spring, Ky., Newport Central Catholic) and senior Christi Tims (Olmsted Township, Olmsted Falls) both met the OAC's B Qualifying Standard in the 200m Dash. Muench placed 10th overall with a time of 28.04 seconds, while Tims was 12th and crossed the line in 28.17 seconds. In addition, Muench took third and Tims placed fourth in the 400m Dash. Muench covered the two laps in 1:01.31, while Tims ran a season's best time of 1:01.41, which improved her ranking among the athletes that have already met the OAC's A Qualifying Standard. Freshman Kristeva Rowe (Toledo, Sylvania Southview) also competed in the event. She took sixth and met the OAC's A Qualifying Standard with a time of 1:02.41.

Marietta is back in action on Saturday (Feb. 13) when the Pioneers participate in the Division III All-Ohio Indoor Championship, hosted by Otterbein College.