TIFFIN, Ohio — The 2026 Ohio Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship wrapped up Saturday (Feb. 28) evening on the campus of Heidelberg University. Mount Union swept the team titles, while Marietta placed ninth in both the men's and women's standings.
 
Mount Union amassed 197 points to win the women's championship. Ohio Northern was second with 178.5 points, followed by Otterbein (84), Baldwin Wallace (83), Capital (63.5), Heidelberg (42.5), Muskingum (42), Wilmington (38), and Marietta (12.5).
 
Marietta's points on day two came from its relay teams. In the women's 4x200-meter relay, the Pioneers placed eighth with a time of 1:49.99. Sophi Merickel (Phoenix, Ariz./Cactus Shadows) ran the lead leg with Sadie Gray (Whipple, Ohio/Marietta), Eden Tepe (Oregonia, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame), and Michaela Hieronymus (Letart, W.Va./Wahama) finishing the relay.
 
Hieronymus took the lead leg in the 4x400-meter relay, followed by Merickel, Lillian Franchino (Waterford, Ohio/Waterford), and Tepe. The Pioneers notched a time of 4:13.50 to place sixth.
 
On the men' side, Marietta's 4x200m relay team ran a time of 1:31.93 taking fifth place. Vante Hodges handled the leadoff spot, followed by Isaiah Mitchell (Hebron, Ohio/Lakewood), Isaiah Creditt-Commodore (Xenia, Ohio/Xenia), and Zavier Lindsay (Columbus, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) on the anchor.
 
The Pioneers will send several athletes to the Polar Bear Final Qualifier at Ohio Northern next Saturday (Mar. 7) to try and qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. The remainder of the team will move to the outdoor season starting at the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge March 12-14.
 
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.