College Notebook: Elgin grad Tiffany Hix earns conference athlete of the week honors

SPRINGFIELD — Elgin graduate Tiffany Hix keeps adding honors and milestones.

For the second time in her career, the sophomore on the Wittenberg women's track and field team earned the North Coast Athletic Conference Female Athlete of the Week award.

Check it out: Who won? Marion Star reveals who earned preseason athlete of the year honors from voters

More polls: Who had the best week? Vote in the Marion Star Best of the Week Polls for Boys and Girls

Hix set the women's outdoor pole vaulting record at the school with a leap of 11 feet, 4 1/2 inches to take second place at the Cedarville Yellow Jacket Collegiate Outdoor Meet recently. That mark tops the NCAC leaderboard this season and ranks in the top 20 in the country in Division III

She also took third place in the triple jump with an effort of 35-7.25, which is the second-best mark this year in the NCAC.

Hix won the pole vault at the NCAC Indoor Championships with a vault of 10-11.5 and was fifth in the triple jump at 34-4.75. Earlier in the winter indoor season, she set the Wittenberg women's record in the pole vault with an 11-7.75.

Here are some other track and field athletes from the Marion area who are competing in the college ranks:

● Mount Gilead's Allison Johnson competed in the women's 600 meters at the Big Ten Indoor Championships for Penn State and ran ninth in 1:30.91. In the outdoors, the sophomore was 10th in the 800 in 2:04.61 at the Pepsi Florida Relays.

● Juliette Laracuente-Huebner, a freshman from Highland at the women's team at the University of Cincinnati, finished third in the pentathlon at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, scoring 4,134 points. In the event breakdown, she was third in the long jump at 19-10.75, the 60-meter hurdles at 8.5 and the high jump at 5-8.5, plus was eighth in the shot put at 36-10.5 and ninth in the 800 at 2:26.66. Also competing in the triple jump, she was 11th at 41-3.

She qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships as a result and finished 12th with a 4,040. She was second in the long jump at 5-10, 10th in the 60 hurdles at 8.72 and long jump at 19-8.75, 12th in the 800 at 2:24.19 and 15th in the shot put at 31-3.

● A freshman from Mount Gilead, Toledo's Michaela McGill was third in the women's 5K in 18:18.45 at the Oliver Nikoloff in Cincinnati. While competing in the Blizzard Buster at Miami, she was 12th in the 1,500 in 4:47.41 and 15th in the 3000 in 10:40.72.

● Baldwin Wallace's Kaedan Faggs, a sophomore from Marion Harding, set a personal record in the men's 100 with an 11.25 and finished fifth at the Bob Hahn Invitational at Oberlin. He also set a PR in the long jump by taking runner-up honors in the long jump at 22-6.6. Faggs competed at the Ohio Athletic Conference Indoor Championships and was fifth in the 4x200-meter relay in 1:31.83, sixth in the long jump at 21-10, eighth in the triple jump at 41-7 and 12th in the 200 at 22.73.

● Ashland University's Caden Morris, a junior from Marion Harding, set his PR in the men's 100 at the Tiffelberg, running 10th in 11.01, plus helped the 4x100 team to the win in 41.52, while taking third in the long jump at 22-5.25. He leads the team in the long jump this year, leaping 23-8 to finish third at the Don McGarey Invitational at Kennesaw State in Georgia.

Morris was a part of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Indoor Championships and captured sixth in the triple jump at 45-0.25 and seventh in the long jump at 23-4.5.

● Also running at Ashland is sophomore Michael Snopik of Mount Gilead. He was sixth in the men's 1,500 in 4:01.47 at the Tiffelberg and ninth in the 800 in 2:00.28 at the Don McCarey. At the GMAC Indoors, he ran the mile in 4:21.66 for 23rd.

● Ohio Wesleyan freshman Lucas Weaver of Northmor competed in the NCAC Indoor where he took 15th in the men's 800 in 2:05.71 and 21st in the mile in 4:58.21. Competing outdoors at the Tiffelberg Open in Tiffin, he was a member of the 4x400-meter relay that ended 11th in 3:34.97.

● Sarah St. Germain, a freshman from Elgin on the women's team at Muskingum, had personal records during indoor meets this winter in the long jump at 14-2.25 and the 60 hurdles in 11.3.

● Otterbein sophomore Payne Ratliff of Marion Harding was 16th in the men's 1,500 in 4:07.27 at the Tiffelberg, 11th in the 10K in 31:44.26 at the Charlotte 49er Classic, 18th in the 3K in 8:56.9 at the OAC Indoors and 22nd in the 5K in 16:06.43 also at the OAC Indoors.

● Ratliff's teammate, senior Christopher Pinnick of Ridgedale, was 25th in the men's 1,500 in 4:11.87 at the Tiffelberg. He was 17th in the event in 4:22.02 at the Amy Adams Memorial at Muskingum, plus part of the fifth place 4x400 relay that posted a 3:41.26. At the OAC Indoors, he ran the 1K in 2:41.73 for 20th.

● Ohio Wesleyan freshman Alexis Eusey of Highland competed at the Tiffelberg where she was 10th in the women's javelin in 94-5, 34th in the discus at 98-1 and 28th in the shot put at 33-8.75.

● OWU teammate Hazel Jolliff, a sophomore from Cardington, participated in the NCAC Indoors for the pentathlon and scored a 2,372 for sixth place. In the event, she was third in the shot put at 30-4.75, seventh in the 60 hurdles in 10.41, seventh in the high jump at 4-3.5, eighth in the long jump at 14-3 and eighth in the 800 in 2:51.65. She was also 15th in the long jump at the NCAC with a 14-5.

Anyone who wants to share news about a college athlete from the Marion area is encouraged to contact the Marion Star's Rob McCurdy at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, X @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star. There will be more on area tennis, softball and baseball players, plus fall and winter athletes in future college notebooks.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: College Notebook: Elgin's Tiffany Hix sets records at Wittenberg