Cleveland, Ohio - The North Coast Athletic Conference recently posted their Pre-Championship Coaches Poll, and the Big Red women's team is slated in the middle of the pack at fifth with 35 points, while the men's are tied seventh with Oberlin at 25 points. Ohio Wesleyan earned the top spot on the women's side with 60 points with four first-place votes, and Wittenberg was voted first for the men's with eight first-place votes for 80 points. The championship kicks off this weekend as Denison hosts the outdoor combined championships on Saturday and Sunday.

Men's

Denison has 14 athletes who rank in the top-10 in the conference in all three categories. Junior Jonathan Westfall currently ranks second in javelin, while sophomore Jake McCann holds a top-five spot in the 100-meter dash.

Sprints

Sophomores Jake McCann and Caleb Zell- Ratner have solidified themselves in the top-8 in the 100-meter dash, with McCann ranking fourth with a time of 10.75, and Zell-Ratner close behind at 10.76 for fifth place. The duo also rank as the highest finishers in the 200-meter dash, with McCann 12th (22.12), and Zell-Ratner 13th (22.13). Juniors Jack Meyerowitz and Wilson White have qualified for the 400-meter dash, posting times of 49.85 and 50.74 for the Big Red.

First-year Wade Nguyen has impressed in the 110-meter hurdles, ranking seventh (15.37). Fellow first-year Felix Martin cracked the top-15 with a time of 15.99 for 14th place. The 400-meter hurdles showcases junior Jason Rideout, who currently ranks seventh with a time of 57.53. Martin has also qualified with a mark of 59.20, just barely making the 59.31 cut.

Distance

Two Big Red currently hold top-five times in the 10k, as first-year Will Jackson ranks second with a time of 32:17.22, and senior Noah Cyr ranks fifth with a time of 33:03.67. Senior Oliver DiCerbo leads the pack in the 1500-meter run, posting a time of 3:57.44 and ranks third. Junior Leo Wisnefski holds the 10th spot, posting a mark of 4:04.17 at the Fast Break Invitational to make the cut.

Relays 

The 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams have been steady this season, with both posting season-bests at the Fast Break Invitational. The 4x100 consisting of Jake Mason, Jake McCann, Jack Meyerowitz, and Caleb Zell- Ratner have posted a time of 41.47, which ranks fifth heading into the championship. Ranking third, the 4x400 team of Meyerowitz, Zell-Ratner, McCann, and Wilson White posted a best of 3:20.34,

Field

Junior Jonathan Westfall ranks the highest for the Big Red in javelin, posting a mark of 49.85m at the Lid-Lifter Invitational to rank second among the entire NCAC. Justin King posted a third-place mark of 14.54m at the Fast Break Invitational last week, and Reed Nobili improved his mark to 13.23m to pass the 13.14m threshold. 

Nobili also holds a top-10 mark in the discus, throwing for a mark of 41.35m for ninth in the standings. Sophomore Joe Teates currently ranks ninth in the conference with a mark of 3.95m in the pole vault. In the triple jump, sophomore Eric Ott holds the sixth-best mark, jumping for a spot of 13.34m. 

Women's

The women's has 22 athletes holding top-10 marks in the conference, with the hurdles section having five alone. The field features 12, with four coming in just discus and three from shot put.

Sprints

The Big Red hold four top-20 times in the 100-meter dash, with three of the four being first-years. Stevie Combs (first-year, fourth, 12.27), Ryan Singer (first-year, sixth, 12.29), Emily Brennan (senior, seventh, 12.36), and Briyana Hart (first-year, 19th, 12.87) all lead the way for Denison. In the 200-meter dash, Combs, Brennan, and Singer all rank inside the top-20, with Combs leading the way with a time of 25.59, good for sixth in the conference.

The 400-meter dash features five Denison athletes in the field, as Arialyn Bischak (first-year, 10th, 1:00.47) and Combs (12th, 1:00.71) lead the way. First-year Shaylee Murdough rounds out the top-15 with a new time at the Otterbein Twilight of 1:01.22.

Brennan locked in the second-best time in the conference after an impressive showing at the Fast Break Invitational with a time of 1:02.40 in the 400-meter hurdles. Two other Big Red rank inside the top-six, as Ava Sinex (junior, fifth, 1:07.29) and Renaldi (sixth, 1:07.66) round out the group. In the 100-meter hurdles, Renaldi has maintained her top-three spot after a time of 14.76 at the Gibson Invitational, and senior Sydney Brown clocked in an eighth-best time of 15.72.

Distance

Murdough currently holds the number four slot in the 800-meter run, as she recorded a time of 2:16.63 last week. She also ranks fourth in the 1500-meter run, clocking in a time of 4:42.19 at the Fast Break Invitational. Fellow first-year Hanna Hack recorded a top-20 mark as well, posting a season-best 4:51.11.

Relays

The 4x400 quartet of Bischak, Combs, Murdough, and Brennan have increased their best all season, and now hold the second spot with a time of 3:57.10. Singer, Brennan, Renaldi, and Combs rank fourth in the NCAC in the 4x100 with a time of 48.17.

Field

Sydney Flores holds two spots in the shot put and discus, as the senior has the top throw in the conference in shot put at 12.96m, and a mark of 41.33m in discus for third. First-year Gabrielle Turner has put on a showing in her rookie season, climbing all the way to third in shot put with a mark of 12.31m, and seventh in discus (37.89m). Fellow first-year Hannah Grudzien ranks sixth in the javelin with a toss of 34.42m, and sophomore Eno Kissi ranks eighth with 32.18m. In the hammer throw, junior Mariel Drost spots fourth with a throw of 43.50m. Sophomore Julia Schena ranks sixth in high jump, posting a mark of 1.50m, and is seventh in long jump at 5.19m. Marisa Bianchi also holds a top-10 spot in the long jump, leaping for a mark of 5.09m, and is 11th in the triple jump (9.98m).