EYE ON THE EAGLES | Ashland's Trevor Bassitt caps career with 10th national title

The following is a roundup of recent happenings in Ashland University sports.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD 

It was the end of one of the best NCAA Division II track and field careers of all time, as Ashland senior Trevor Bassitt went out with a bang on the third and final day of the D-II Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 28 at Grand Valley State.

Bassitt's time of 48.98 seconds in the men's 400-meter hurdles finals gave him his 10th national championship, a new PR in the event and slotted him at No. 4 all-time in D-II in the event.

The AU men finished fifth in the team standings with 34 points. Pittsburg State (70) won the title, followed by West Texas A&M (61), Grand Valley State (56) and Texas A&M-Commerce (48).

Ashland's men's run of nine consecutive indoor/outdoor podium finishes came to an end, but they now have a streak of finishing in the top five at nationals 10 times in a row.

In the men's 4x100 relay finals, the quartet of senior Tim Rumas, sophomore Doniven Jackson, senior Channing Phillips and senior Aaron Banks finished second in a school-record time of 39.33. That left Rumas with six All-American citations and Jackson three.

The 4x400 relay of senior Ryan Rager, Phillips, freshman Noah Wood and Bassitt placed fourth in 3:08.22. That left Bassitt with 21 All-American honors, Phillips 13, Rager two and Wood one.

Banks earned his second All-American award by placing fifth in the 200 in a personal-best time of 20.64.

In the men's shot put, Noah Koch placed 17th with a throw of 17.16 meters/56-feet-3a¾. On May 27, the sophomore finished eighth in the discus with a top heave of 53.03/173-11 for his second All-American citation.

On May 26, senior Brent Fairbanks and freshman Kelsey Kinsley earned All-American honors in the hammer throw.

Fairbanks, in his final event as an Eagle, finished third in the men's hammer at 63.84/209-5 for his sixth All-American honor.

Kinsley, in her first nationals appearance, placed fifth in the women's hammer at 58.30/191-3 for her first All-American award.

Ashland's women ended with four team points and tied for 42nd place.

Bassitt was named the Great Midwest Athletic Conference men's track Athlete of the Year on May 26.

Earning first-team league honors for the AU men were Koch, Banks, Phillips, Doniven Jackson and Keshun Jones. Eagles named to the second team were Fairbanks, Nate Stout, Ryan Rager, Brenden Jackson and Colin Roberts, while Ashland athletes selected to the third team were Storm Elsesser and Cameron Shifflet.

For the AU women, Kinsley, Emma Liberatore, Cheyanne Davis and Rachel Miller were all first-team picks. Ashland athletes selected to the second team were Morgan Dennis and Alena Williams, while picking up third-team honors were Carrol Pauley, Allie Holmes, Peyton Perini, Mia Gardner, Hannah Berheide and Elizabeth Adams.

On May 25, former Ashland track and field standout pole vaulter Katie Nageotte was announced as part of the 2022 class of the Division II Athlete Hall of Fame by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Nageotte, who won Olympic gold for Team USA in the women's pole vault last August, is the fifth former Eagle track and field athlete to be elected to the D-II Athlete Hall of Fame, all in the last five years, joining Bryan Vickers (2020), Adriane Blewitt (2018), Jackie Jeschelnig (2018) and Sean Robbins (2017). 

MEN’S GOLF 

Ashland junior Andrew Kolar earned a spot on the All-G-MAC men's golf team, the league announced May 25.

The 2021-22 season was a breakout one for Kolar, who had an average score of 73.69 strokes in 26 rounds over 10 tournaments.

Through his junior season, Kolar has the lowest career scoring average (74.02) of any AU men's golfer since 1996-97. His three eagles this season were the second most in the program, and his 54-hole total of 212 at the Doc Spragg Fall Invite was the lowest in the program since 1996-97.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland U's Trevor Bassitt caps career with 10th national title