CHESTER, Pa. – The Messiah women's track and field competed in the opening day of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Widener University on Thursday afternoon. A 4x800 relay team of
Olivia Cory,
Kathleen Walstrom,
Laura Kruth, and
Ashlyn Stonge recorded a second-place finish (9:32.22), as
Taylor Wiederrecht performed well in the opening events of the heptathlon to place herself second in the standings.
The 4x800 relay team entered the race with a conference-best mark of 10:15.26, achieved at the Messiah Multi/Invitational on Apr. 10.
Cera Gaston and
Sarah Codd each represented the Falcons well in the 10000. Gaston notched a third-place finish, granting Messiah six team points behind a time of 38:16.74. The third-place performance was a personal-best mark for Gaston, edging her 38:27.21 mark earned at the Falcon First Chance Hexagonal (Mar. 19). For Codd, a time of 39:29.50 represented a top-ten finish in the field.
Also competing in the 10000 was
Joy Galbraith (41:02.43) and
Ellie Quesenberry (47:16.99).
Both Codd and Gaston entered the 10000 with the second and third-best marks in the conference, as Codd completed the event in 38:23.09 at the Messiah Multi/Invitational (Apr. 9), while Gaston held a third-best time (38:27.21).
Wiederrecht turned in solid performances in the opening events of the heptathlon. Competing in the 100 hurdles (18.45), high jump (1.64m), shot put (9.98m), and 200 (26.74), Wiederrecht accumulated a total of 2842 points on the opening day of the competition, placing herself second in the standings. Wiederrecht's performance in the high jump topped all competition, also outpacing the field in the 200. The final three events of the heptathlon (long jump, javelin throw, and 800) are scheduled to take place tomorrow morning at approximately 10:15 a.m.
Justine Eckert represented the Falcons in the hammer throw, registering a distance of 26.10 meters. The distance was not a personal-best mark (30.86m) for the sophomore thrower, but proved to be a second-best mark of her first full season of collegiate outdoor competition.
At the end of Day One, Messiah accumulated a total of 14 team points, tied for fifth place with DeSales University.
The Falcons are back in action tomorrow, May 7, for Day Two of the MAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Chester, Pa. The second day of competition is slated to begin at 9:30 a.m.
