ROCHESTER, Mich. — Cierra Lively’s first-place finish in the women’s high jump highlighted several podium finishes by the Wright State track and field programs on Sunday in the final day of action at the 2024 Horizon League Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The Raider women finished seventh overall for the Championship, with the Wright State men finishing eighth for the weekend.

Lively claimed the top spot with a top jump of 1.69m on Sunday, .03m above the rest of the field on the way to the title. After clearing 1.69m, Lively just missed at a mark of 1.76m, which would have been a new personal-best mark. In addition to Lively, Sam Ott cleared 1.57m to finish in a tie for seventh to also make the podium. Ott, who also plays volleyball at Wright State, began competing in the high jump event for the first time ever this spring.

Hannah Falknor had a busy afternoon on the track and at the podium, first finishing third in the women’s 100m race with a time of 11.85, before turning around half an hour later and clocking a 24.89 second mark in the women’s 200m race to finish fourth in that event. The men’s 400m hurdles saw Mohamed Bilal reach the podium with a fifth-place finish and 56.73 mark, while Jude Elkins was sixth in the men’s 110m hurdles with a time of 15.04 seconds.

Wright State also reached the podium in both the men’s and women’s 5,000m run, with a pair of Raiders finding the podium on the women’s side. Kaitlyn Miller finished sixth with her time of 17:19.69, followed closely behind by Alicia Neumeier’s 17:26.36 in eighth, while in the men’s race Alex McCarty finished eighth with his 14:38.85 mark.

Two more Raider groups grabbed podium finishes as well, with the men’s 4 x 400m team of Bilal, Hunter Thompson, Patrick Statzer and Gavin Hutchinson finishing fifth with a time of 3:22.84, while the women’s 4 x 100m group of Ava Bosticco, Lylla Kovacs, Brooke Thompson and Falknor turned in a 48.95 second mark to finish sixth.

Raiders take rubber match win at Oakland

ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Wright State baseball team defeated Oakland 4-2 for the series win on Sunday afternoon. The Raiders are now 27-19 overall and 16-8 in the Horizon League.

The Raiders finished with four runs on nine hits with four walks against their nine strikeouts. They were led by Patrick Fultz, Julian Greenwell, and Andrew Patrick’s two hits each, followed by Jay Luikart, Sammy Sass, and Boston Smith each recording one hit. Patrick and Greenwell both recorded one double on the day, while Patrick added another extra-base hit with one home run.

The game got off to a slow start, with neither team scoring in the first four innings. The Raiders had one hit in both the first and second inning, those being a Greenwell double and Fultz single. A Patrick homer to left field in the top of the fifth was the first run to score. Fultz followed reaching base on balls, advancing to second on an Arnold hit by pitch, and scoring on a Sass single to center field.

Both teams went hitless in the sixth, while the Raiders raised their advantage to 4-0 in the seventh. Their two runs came as Patrick reached on a double to right center, scoring on a Fultz single. Fultz advanced to second on an Arnold sacrifice bunt, and to third on a Gregory ground out. A Greenwell single through the left side allowed Fultz to score. The Golden Grizzlies fought, adding one run in the seventh and another in the bottom of the ninth, but Wright State came out victorious 4-2.

Starting pitcher Chet Lax (4-0) was awarded the win after allowing only one run on five hits with just one walk and five batters struck out. Cam Allen earned his second save on the season after pitching the final one and one third innings, allowing one run on two hits with one walk and four batters struck out.

Oakland starting pitcher Brandon Decker was charged with the loss after allowing the initial two Raider runs on four hits with two walks and eight batters struck out. The Golden Grizzlies finished with two runs on seven hits with three walks and nine strikeouts. They were led by Lucas Day’s two hits, including one double.