Western grad Buckhannon wins OAC title with record throw

Norwalk Reflector, Ohio
·2 min read

May 8—TIFFIN — Baldwin Wallace University senior All-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic All-OAC thrower Brooke Buckhannon won an individual OAC title on Friday to lead the women's outdoor track and field team to a fifth-place finish at the OAC Outdoor championships hosted by Heidelberg University inside Hoernemann Stadium.

Buckhannon successfully defended her 2019 OAC title in the hammer throw and smashed the championship meet record with a mark of 174-feet-6 inches. The record previously stood at 160-feet-7, which was set by BW's Maggie Urban back in 2001.

On Thursday, Buckhannon finished fifth in the discus throw with a toss of 133-feet-2 on the first day of the OAC championships and was named the Clyde A. Lamb Award recipient for BW.

The Lamb awards are presented annually to 10 male and 10 female student-athletes from each of the OAC institutions. Criteria for the award includes at least two years participation in an OAC-sponsored sport, senior status, a minimum GPA of 3.00 and sportsmanlike conduct in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete and his or her institution.

Buckhannon, a 2016 Western Reserve graduate, who was also her Class Valedictorian in high school, graduates as one of the top field athletes in the conference. She is a six-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Great Lakes Region selection, a 12-time All-OAC performer, a five-time All-Ohio performer, a two-time national qualifier and a 2020 USTFCCCA Indoor All-American.

Twice Buckhannon was named the OAC Field Athlete of the Year, and she has been named OAC Field Athlete of the Week a total of eight times prior to the OAC championships in Tiffin.

In the classroom, Buckhannon is a public relations and marketing double major who carries a 3.88 GPA. She is a three-time Academic All-OAC selection, a three-time USTFCCCA All-Academic selection, Dean's List student, Jacket Scholar, a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma and Alpha Lambda Delta honoraries and a member of the Public Relations Society of America.