ANNVILLE, Pa. - The Messiah women's track & field team had a great day at Lebanon Valley College Saturday on afternoon. The Falcons won twelve total events, with
Claire Miller (100, 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles) and
Taylor Wiederrecht (high jump, long jump, triple jump) both winning three events each.
Esther Seeland also bested the field in the 400 with a 57.39, putting her at fourth in the country in the event. Messiah also took the 200 and 800, as
Kathryn Wiederrecht (26.20) and
Ellissa Slader (2:22.66) claimed the events for Messiah.
Notable Results
Cera Gaston won the 5000 with a time of 18:47.12. The top seven finishers in the event were all Falcons, as
Sarah Codd (18:50.58),
Joy Galbraith (19:33.91), and Katelyn Prothero (20:17.06) all finished in the top four.
Ashlyn Stonge had a phenomenal day for the Falcons. The senior recorded a top-six time in the 1500 (5:09.05), as her 4x400 relay split helped Messiah to claim first place in the event. Stonge served as the anchor, as
Brieanna Hess,
Olivia Cory, and
Laura Kruth preceded Stonge. The relay team's time was 4:18.34, besting Lebanon Valley's time of 4:19.65.
Miller was dominant in her sprints today. The freshman turned in three first-place performances in the 100 (13.43), 100 hurdles (16.79), and 400 hurdles (1:12.84).
The 800 was one of the most successful events of the day for the Falcons. Messiah had five runners place in the top nine, with all five runners earning personal records. Slader topped all competition (2:22.66), as Cory (2:25.38), Kruth (2:25.39),
Lorelei Pryor (2:44.66), and
Meghan Sampson (2:45.93) were the Falcons that followed.
Before placing a fourth-best mark in the country in the 400, Seeland placed second in the 200 (26.50), behind the top time (26.20) of fellow teammate Wiederrecht. The 400 was another successful event for Messiah, as five Falcons claimed the top five times in the event. Seeland was followed by Slader (1:00.55), Hess (1:02.35),
Cassidy Chandler (1:03.77), and
Emma Johnsen (1:04.24).
For the field events, T. Wiederrecht dominated with three first-place finishes in the high jump (1.56m), long jump (4.88m), and triple jump (9.78m).
Lila Goodhile turned in quality performances in the javelin throw and shot put. After placing second with a distance of 10.62 meters in the shot put, Goodhile notched a top distance in the javelin throw, clearing a distance of 32.83 meters.
Ruby Ramsey placed second, turning in a distance of 30.68 meters. Ramsey, with her second-place performance in the javelin throw, has now cleared a distance of at least 100 feet in all competitions so far this season.
Natalie Hamlen recorded terrific performances for the Falcons in the high jump and the long jump. The freshman registered a height of 1.31 meters in the high jump, while leaping to a distance of 4.06 meters in the long jump. Hamlen's distance of 1.31 meters in the high jump marks a personal-best mark, improving upon last week's height of 1.29 meters in the Messiah Multi.
Justine Eckert placed third in the discus throw with a distance of 30.41 meters, as
Bayley Hess cleared the bar at a height of 2.81 meters in the pole vault.
It was an overall positive team effort from the Falcons on the road today, as the teams competing were able to perform before an excited crowd for the first time this season.
What's Next
The Falcons will be back in action when they travel to Center Valley, Pa. to compete at DeSales University next Saturday, Apr. 24.
