INDIANAPOLIS – Findlay and Tiffin put a dent in the conference record books to earn selections as Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week on Wednesday morning.
 
Track Athlete of the Week
Xavier Marable
Findlay
Sprints
Sophomore
Clayton, OH (Northmont HS)
 
Marable doubled down as the conference’s indoor track athlete of the year and freshman of the year in 2019, setting the stage for an eventual All-American performance in the 400-meter dash.
 
Marable was blazing on the track at the Youngstown State Collegiate Invite in the Oilers’ third event of the 2019-20 season.
 
The sophomore blazed his way to a provisional qualifying time in the 400. He ran a 47.37 to win the event, currently ranking third best in Great Midwest history.
 
A former Oiler holds the overall conference record, George Effah and his 47.01 in the 2018 indoor national meet.
 
He also recorded a top 10 conference finish as a member of the runner-up 4x400-meter relay team as Marable, Lane Kolb, Josh Verhoff and Nick Rice, combined for a time of 3:21.32.
 
That effort is ninth in the record books and now gives the Oilers four of the top 10 marks in the event.
 
Field Athlete of the Week
Jabari Bennett
Tiffin
Throws
Sophomore
Silver Spring, MD (Washington-Lee HS)
 
Bennett already punched his ticket to nationals with a PR at the Tiffin Alumni Open. The sophomore continued to press on during his breakout season, this time recording another auto mark at the Tiffin Dragon Open.
 
In his first action of the new calendar year, Bennett hurled the shot put 18.53m (60’ 9.5”) to finish second in the event.
 
He tied the ninth longest shot put mark in the conference record books with Findlay weight throw two-time national champ Austin Combs.
 
Bennett still is No. 1 in Division II this indoor season for top distances in the shot put with teammates Nikolas Curtiss at No. 2 and Eric Jackson at No. 4, respectively, for a dominant throws group.