CHESTER, Pa. – The women's track and field team battled their way through Day Three of the 2021 Middle Atlantic Conference Track and Field Championships to cap off the weekend with 172 team points and their fourth-straight MAC Championship Title. Head coach
Dale Fogelsanger was named the Coach of the Year while
Esther Seeland was named the Women's Track Athlete of the Year after winning the 800m (2:13.91), 1500m (4:40.19), and the 4x400m relay (3:58.20) with the help of
Ellissa Slader,
Brieanna Hess, and
Cassidy Chandler.
Road to the Title
The Falcons' 172 points were a complete team effort. In the 100m,
Kathryn Wiederrecht and
Ellissa Slader took first and third, respectively, running 12.55s and 12.95s. The duo also medaled in the 200m with Wiederrecht running into second place with a time of 25.51s while Slader finished just behind her in 25.77s, both achieveing new personal-best times. In the 400m, Slader highlighted the Falcons' efforts, coming through the line in 56.79s to secure the silver medal while
Esther Seeland finished in 57.35s to take the bronze. Wiederrecht finished in fourth place in the 100m hurdles with a time of 15.61s while
Claire Miller took seventh with a 16.55 second race.
The 800m proved to be a big event for the Falcons as Seeland earned 10 points with a first place finish with a time of 2:13.91 while
Ashlyn Stonge (2:19.05) and
Olivia Cory (2:21.90) finished in fifth and seventh, respectively. For both Stonge and Cory, the two tiems recorded were personal-best marks. The Falcons also put three athletes on the podium in the 1500m with Seeland finishing in first with a time of 4:40.19.
Chloe Wester came across the line in 4:52.71 to take fifth while
Kathleen Walstrom rounded out the Falcons' efforts with an eighth place finish with a time of 5:00.75.
Chloe Wester also fought for a spot on the podium in the 5,000m, running 18:38.48 to finish in eighth.
Teddi Powell led the way for Messiah in the event with a second place finish and a time of 18:15.49.
Cera Gaston took sixth in the event with an 18:34.28.
In the pole vault,
Bayley Hess was the lone Falcon on the podium in a three-way tie for fifth place after clearing 2.96m on her first attempt. In the triple jump,
Elena Vargas made the podium with a jump of 10.35m to take eighth place.
Justine Eckert took seventh in the discus after throwing 34.53m.
Lila Goodhile and
Ruby Ramsey made their way onto the podium in the javelin after throwing 32.08m and 31.07m, respectively, to take sixth and eighth place.
The Falcons closed out the Championship on a high note as
Ellissa Slader,
Brieanna Hess,
Cassidy Chandler, and
Esther Seeland stormed around the track for the 4x400m relay, finished with a combined time of 3:58.20, beating second place Stevens Institute by over eight seconds. The winning time crushed the relay team's previous conference-best mark of 4:04.12.
On the day, the Falcons won a total of 11 medals, including four gold medals.
Messiah's 172 team points to earn their fourth-straight MAC Title were 50 points ahead of the second-place Misericordia Cougars who scored 122 points.
