LANCASTER, Pa. – The Messiah women's track and field team competed at the Mini-Dip Invitational at Franklin & Marshall College on Friday evening. The day was highlighted by
Esther Seeland setting two new program records in the 1-Mile (4:52.25) and the 300m (42.77s) as
Ellie Longshaw recorded a 200m performance that etched her name in the top-10 all-time list in Messiah women's track and field history.
Seeland, who has now set program records in consecutive weeks, holds the second-fasted 1-mile time in the nation. Messiah's previous 1-mile program record was held by
Leanne Weaver (4:57.89), set back in 2020. The previous MAC 1-Mile was 4:54.10 by DeSales University's Guna Lucrezi back in 2003-04.
1-Mile
Seeland set yet another program record for Messiah women's indoor track and field, pacing the54-runner field with a time of 4:52.25. In addition to Seeland's impressive performance,
Kate Dickow recorded a top-five finish, placing fifth overall with a time of 5:24.22. Other notable Falcon finishers included
Kathleen Walstrom (5:42.27) with a 13th-place finish and
Chloe Wester (5:42.57) with a 14th-place finish.
Triple Jump
Elena Vargas, Longshaw,
Emma Graybill and
Olivia Call represented the Falcons in the triple jump. Vargas turned in the top mark of the four, registering 10.32m in her third attempt to place third overall. Longshaw recorded a distance of 10.18m, while Graybill (9.83m) and Call (9.42m) turned in quality performances as well. Annie Leder of Dickinson College recorded the top mark of the afternoon, leaping to 10.50m.
High Jump
Emily Gourley recorded a quality finish in the high jump, earning a mark of 1.50m, placing third overall out of 14 jumpers.
Natalie Hamlen (1.30m) and Call (1.35m) also competed in the event for Messiah, recording strong marks.
200m
Longshaw posted an outstanding performance in the 200m, topping all competition with a time of 27.18. The winning time qualified for ninth-best all-time in Messiah women's indoor track and field history as Graybill (28.08) finished eighth overall
Halle Jennett (28.17) placed ninth overall.
300m
Seeland notched another program record in the 300m, recording a winning time of 42.77s. Seeland's time topped all 28 runners, besting Messiah's previous program record of 43.36s, set by Tiffany Burrows in 2015. The senior edged Millersville's Emma Elwell who posted a time of 43.43.
400m
Cassidy Chandler represented Messiah in the 400m, placing fifth overall with a time of 1:04.41. Chandler topped her previous 400m time from last weekend, posting a mark of 1:05.72 at Alvernia University.
800m
Plenty of Falcons competed in the 800m, highlighted by Walstrom posting a team-best time of 2:34.18. Walstrom's mark earned her 12th-place overall as Hamlen (2:38.63),
Regina Pirolli (2:41.16) and
Brieanna Hess (2:41.35) recorded impressive times.
60m Dash
Graybill turned in a time of 8.39s in the 60m dash prelims, qualifying for the finals. The first-year sprinter improved her time in the finals by five-hundredths of a second, earning a sixth-place finish with a time of 8.34s.
60m Hurdles
Claire Miller advanced to the finals following a fourth-place time of 9.98s in the prelims. In the finals, the sophomore represented Messiah well, earning a fourth-place finish, crossing the line in 10.01. Miller improved on her 60m hurdles time of last week, issuing a finish of 10.45s in the Alvernia Winter Invite.
Pole Vault
Cadee Wood vaulted to a height of 2.75m, tying in fifth place with Gettysburg College's Alexa Schauder and Franklin & Marshall's Stephani Franks. Wood matched her mark of 2.75m at last week's competition at Alvernia University. Call (2.44m) and
Noelle Crowley (2.15m) also competed in the event for the Falcons.
5000m
Several Falcons turned in strong performances in the 5000m, highlighted by a seventh-place finish from
Teddi Powell (19:55.07) and an eighth-place finish from Katelyn Prothero (19:57.31).
Kirsten Howland crossed the line with a time of 20:38.94, while
Sarah Bath finished with a time of 20:42.98. Howland edged her 5000m time from last week by just over three seconds (20:38.96) as Bath posted an improvement as well, beating last weeks' time of 20:36.75.
Elise Davenport (22:26.58) and
Jillian Brotherton (22:48.81) each recorded quality times as well.
Relays
In the 4x400m relay, a team of Chandler, Cory, Dickow, and Hess recorded a time of 4:28.47, qualifying for a fourth-place finish.
What's Next
The Falcons travel to The Armory in New York City next Friday, Feb. 4, to compete in the NYC Armory DIII Invitational, set to begin at 4:30 p.m.
