Jan. 20, 2006

Merrill Breaks Shot Put Record to Highlight Meets at Baldwin Wallace, Kent State

    Berea, Ohio -- Youngstown State sophomore Aaron Merrill broke the school record in the shot put with a mark of 54 feet, 1 3/4 inches as YSU's men's squad competed at the Baldwin Wallace Mid-January Meet on Friday.
    Merrill's throw topped Jarrod Davis' mark of 53-11 1/4 that was set at the 2006 Horizon League Championship. Merrill, a native of  Leetonia, Ohio, also holds the school record in the outdoor shot put.
    His victory was one of seven for the Penguins in the non-scored meet. Adam Kagarise (Austintown, Ohio) won the 200m dash with a time of 22.81 while J.D. Sheppard won the 1,000m with a time of 2:35.14. Michael Perri claimed the top spot in the high jump with a personal-best mark of 6-4, and Shayne York won the triple jump with a distance of 43-10 3/4. Drew Weizer won the weight throw with a mark of 57-0 3/4.
    Perri, Kagarise and Sheppard joined Harold Jones in the first-place 4x400m relay that finished in 3:27.41.
    Jones added second-place finishes in the 300m and 500m while Eric Baltputnis placed second in the 55m. Isaac Newton finished second in the 3,000m Joe Lahmon placed second in the shot put and Dom DeFilippo was second in the weight throw.
    Four Penguins claimed individual victories for the YSU women's squad in an 82-68 setback to Kent State in a dual Friday at the Kent State Fieldhouse.
    Ashley Oliver won the 60m dash with a time of 7.86 while Shantel Jackson won the 800m in 2:20.96. Jen Grayson cleared a height of 5-3 to win the high jump, and Alisha Anthony won the long jump with a distance of 17-10 1/4.
    Katie Betts finished second in the 60m and 200m, and Yandeh Joh placed second in the long jump and 60m hurdles.
    The squads will compete at the Akron Open on Friday and Saturday.