COLLEGE NOTES: Welsh among MAC leaders in couple distance events; Jackson grad Alex Wind makes debut at Alabama

Toledo sophomore Athena Welsh, a St. Thomas Aquinas High School graduate, is off to a great start as a distance runner with the women’s indoor track team this winter.

Welsh won the 3,000 meters at the season-opening Doug Raymond Invitational in Kent with a personal-best time of 9:32.76. Last Friday, she finished first in the 5,000 run at Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational with a personal-best 16:35.28. Both times place her third on the Mid-American Conference performance list. She finished ninth in the mile and 16th in the 3k at the MAC indoor championships last year as a freshman.

Alex Wind (Jackson)  The senior transfer made his debut with the Alabama men’s indoor track team in the Vanderbilt Open on Jan. 20, and finished 17th in the mile with a personal-best 4:13.75. He followed that up by finishing 11th in the 3,000 at Clemson’s Bob Pollock Invitational on Jan. 27, with a personal-best 8:18.51. Wind transferred from Ohio University where he was a key member of the cross country team from 2013-16. He finished eighth in the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships in 2016.

Jarrod Webb (Marlington)  The Washington & Jefferson junior was named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Men’s Athlete of the Week for his performance with the indoor track team. It was his second honor this winter. Webb finished third in the shot put (49 feet, 7.25 inches) and 10th in the weight throw (42-5.25) at the Bob Shannon Invitational last Saturday in Granville. He kicked off the season by finishing first in the shot put (45-6.25) and fifth in the weight throw (42-8) at West Virginia’s open meet Jan. 13.

Connor Delahanty (Lake)  The Johns Hopkins freshman distance runner finished second in the 3,000 at the Frank Colden Invitational last Saturday in Collegeville, Pa., with a personal-best 8:56.08. That places him 23rd on the Centennial Conference performance list. Delahanty also had a personal best when he finished 21st in the 5,000 in the Dr. Sander Invitational at the Armory in New York City on Jan. 27 in 15:25.66. The adjusted time of 15:35.57 is currently 17th on the league’s performance list.

Josie Chaddock (Minerva)  The Lake Erie women’s basketball team is fighting for a berth in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference playoffs and the Storm got a big effort from the sophomore guard in league victories over Davis & Elkins (77-70) on Jan. 30 and Ohio Valley (77-76) last Saturday. Chaddock had 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals against Davis & Elkins and 14 points, four rebounds, seven assists and three steals against Ohio Valley. She’s averaging 12.0 points and 3.2 rebounds and is second in assists (63) and first in steals (44) for the Storm (11-11, 7-9).

Jalen Kirksey (Massillon)  The 6-foot-3 freshman is averaging 11.0 points a game in 21 starts for the Hiram men’s basketball team. He’s second on the squad in rebounding (5.2) and assists (49) and leads in steals (37). He had 14 points in a 79-57 North Coast Athletic Conference loss at DePauw last Saturday to drop the Terriers to 12-9 overall and 8-6 in league play.

Paul Ortiz (McKinley)  The Hiram senior has started all 21 games for the Tigers and is averaging 8.8 points and has hit 33 of 110 3-point baskets (30 percent)

Tianna Vozar (McKinley)  The junior is a key member of the Xavier women’s swim team’s relays. In a 184-75 loss at Miami on Feb. 3, she swam a leg on the 200 free relay which won in 1:36.13. She also picked up points for finishing fifth in the 50 freestyle (24.70). In a 185-72 victory at Wright State on Jan. 27, Vozar swam anchor on the winning 200 free relay (1:37.20) and swam a leg on the Musketeers’ 200 medley B squad, which finished second to the A squad in 1:50.34.

Christian Climer (Tuslaw)  The junior has an 18-12 record competing at 285 pounds for the Heidelberg wrestling team. He has three pins and three major decisions. Climer lifted his Ohio Athletic Conference record to 4-0 with a 9-4 decision in a 41-6 loss to No. 9-ranked Mount Union on Jan. 30 in Alliance, but then saw the string snapped when he was pinned in 5:54 in a 35-8 setback to No. 6-ranked Baldwin Wallace last Tuesday in Tiffin. He has 32 career victories.