GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Messiah women's track and field team finished just a point shy of winning the Mason-Dixion Invitational hosted by the Gettysburg College Bullets on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons earned 156 team points to finish just a point shy of Susquehanna's winning score of 157 points.
The Falcons had a number of stellar performances throughout the meet with numerous personal records and MAC Qualifying standards.
Rounding out the top-five in the team standings were Dickinson (151 points), Gettysburg (98.5), and Elizabethtown (88.5) in third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.
Messiah will be back in action at the Penn Relays later this week on Thursday and Friday and the Paul Kaiser Classic hosted by Shippensburg next Saturday.
Top Performances
Messiah had a strong day in the throws with
Amanda Brown setting a big PR in the hammer throw with a mark of 38.01 meters, a mark multiple feet beyond her previous best.
Ruby Ramsey also set a new PR on Saturday. Her mark came in the Javelin Throw with a mark of 32.80 meters. Both Brown and Ramsey finished fourth in their respective events.
In the High Jump,
Olivia Call finished in sixth place, setting a new PR in the process with a mark of 1.42 meters.
Elena Vargas might have had the best day of any Falcon, setting a pair of new PR's on the weekend. Vargas set a new person best in the Triple Jump with a mark of 10.77 meters. She finished second in that event, earning eight points for Messiah in the team scoring. In the 200 Meter she also set a new PR, crossing the line in a time of 26.83 to finish third.
As a team, Messiah's best event might have come in the 200 Meter. In addition to Vargas' third-place finish,
Ellie Longshaw finished in second place with a time of 26.60 and
Halle Jennett turned in a time of 27.19 to place fourth. Dickinson's Sara Penuela won the event in a time of 26.15.
Ali Schutte won the Steeplechase in a time of 12:10.73, a very strong run, right around her personal best.
Leanne Weaver was just behind Schutte, finishing second with a mark of 12:17.18 to take second in the event. In fourth was
Hannah Steckbeck, who set a new personal best with a time of 13:27.10.
The 1500 Meter was another strong event for the women with the Falcons taking three of the top seven spots.
Chloe Wester finished in fourth with a time of 5:04.43,
Amber Fogelsanger was fifth in 5:07.38, and
Katie Anthony was seventh in 5:13.66.
Other notable performances, included
Kate Dickow winning the 5000 Meter for the Falcons in a time of 18:44.76 and
Cadee Wood punching her ticket to the MAC Championships with a mark of 2.75 meters in the Pole Vault.
From the Virginia Challenge
Esther Seeland traveled to the Virginia Challenge, a meet hosted by the University of Virginia, where she will be attending graduate school next year. Seeland competed in the Invite heat of the 800 Meter, finishing in second place with a time of 2:03.66 in a field filled almost exclusively with Division I and professional runners.
Seeland was the top-finishing collegiate runner, finishing within a second of US Olympic Trail Qualifier, Michael Meyer. Meyer's winning time was 2:02.92, with Seeland right on her shoulder coming around the final turn.
Seeland is scheduled to run in the 1500 Meter this week at the Penn Relays.
