GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah women's track and field team competed in the Messiah Invitational at the Starry Athletic Complex on Saturday. The Falcons issued second-place finish, accumulating 93.5 total team points as Dickinson College (104) topped all competition.
Esther Seeland earned a first-place finish in the 400m run (57.23s) as
Leanne Weaver was impressive in the 400m hurdles, registering a second-place time of 69.36s in the 400m hurdles.
100m
Ellie Longshaw turned in a strong performance in the 100m preliminaries, qualifying for the finals with a time of 13.02s. Longshaw placed sixth overall as
Halle Jennett also competed for the Falcons, crossing the line in 13.21s.
Longshaw impressed in the finals, earning a second-place finish with a time of 12.74s. With the strong performance, Longshaw earned the Falcons eight team points.
200m
The Falcons had strong finishes in the 200m, notching three top-ten times. Longshaw placed third overall with a time of 26.35s, Seeland placed fifth overall with a time of 26.53s, and
Halle Jennett registered a tenth-place finish, crossing the line in 27.04s.
Megan Raab competed in the event as well, earning a time of 29.05s.
800m
Messiah was well-represented in the 800m event as 11 Falcons competed.
Sarah Smith earned the team-best mark, a time of 2:28.68 to earn an impressive ninth-place finish out of 64 total runners.
Olivia Cory (2:28.85),
Kathleen Walstrom (2:29.92),
Emma Johnsen (2:30.71),
Laura Kruth (2:32.02),
Brieanna Hess (2:32.12),
Lindsey Bernd (2:32.68), and
Regina Pirolli (2:32.69) all placed in the top 30 finishers.
Macey Gerbes (2:33.84),
Laura Tan (2:34.84), and
Kiersten Burch (2:34.99) all contributed strong performances in the event as well.
100m Hurdles
Claire Miller qualified for the 100m finals, turning in a time of 16.64s during the preliminary round. Miller's time was the seventh-best overall.
Miller, in the finals, performed well. The sophomore sprinter registered a time of 16.80s, placing sixth overall. Lancaster Bible's Leah Bergey placed first, earning a winning time of 15.12s.
400m
As mentioned, Seeland topped all competition with a time of 57.23s. The Falcons registered another top-ten finish as well as
Emma Graybill earned herself a seventh-place finish, crossing the line in 62.23.
Sarah Kelchner (66.28s),
Megan Raab (67.58s) and
Julia Rickard (68.46s) also recorded strong finishes.
400m Hurdles
Leanna Weaver led the way for Messiah in the 400m hurdles event, placing second overall with a time of 69.36s. Weaver competed in the first heat and was edged by Dickinson's Darya Mikusova, who earned a winning time of 66.29s.
Natalie Hamlen (74.34s), Miller (74.76s), and
Julia Rickard (78.58s) competed in the event as well, representing the Falcons with quality performances.
1500m
There were three heats of the 1500m run as five Falcons competed in the event.
Amber Fogelsanger earned a top-ten finish, placing eighth overall in a field of 41 runners, crossing the line in 5:07.12.
Chloe Wester also represented Messiah, turning in a time of 5:13.67, as
Katie Anthony registered a time of 5:22.75.
4x100m Relay
A relay team of
Claire Miller,
Emma Graybill,
Halle Jennett, and
Ellie Longshaw competed in the 4x100m relay. The team recorded a sixth-place finish out of a strong field of 16 relay teams, crossing the line in 50.88s. Misericordia placed first overall, finishing the relay in 49.64s.
4x400m Relay
The Falcons issued a second-place finish in the 4x400m relay behind a team of Graybill,
Emma Johnsen, Bernd, and Longshaw. The relay team turned in a time of 4:16.76, competing well within a strong competition field of 16 teams.
A team of
Elena Vargas,
Kiersten Burch,
Sarah Kelchner, and
Laura Kruth also represented Messiah as a relay team, recording a time of 4:26.77.
4x800m Relay
The Falcons earned a first-place finish in the 4x800m relay, led by a team consisting of Weaver, Cory, Fogelsanger, and Seeland. The relay team turned in a time of 9:47.48, besting the five other teams in competition.
Of those five other teams, a team of Gerbes, Pirolli,
Isabela Rodriguez, and Smith represented Messiah with a time of 10:37.58.
3000m Steeplechase
A total of six Falcons competed in the 3000m steeplechase event.
Ali Schutte issued a team-best finish, placing third overall with an impressive time of 12:27.30, earning Messiah six team points. Katelyn Prothero placed seventh overall, crossing the line in 13:00.61, as
Hannah Steckbeck notched a 10th-place finish with a time of 13:24.16.
Jillian Brotherton (13:33.14),
Sarah Bath (13:35.87), and
Colleen Quinn (15:39.31) all turned in strong performances as well.
Pole Vault
The Falcons had four vaulters compete in the pole vault.
Cadee Wood turned in a team-best performance, vaulting to a top height of 2.90m.
Olivia Call (2.75m),
Hannah Witter (2.60m), and
Noelle Crowley (2.60m) all competed well for Messiah as well.
Triple Jump
Elena Vargas earned a team-best mark in the triple jump event, leaping out to a top mark of 10.72m. Vargas' performance placed her fifth overall, earning the Falcons four team points.
Emma Graybill performed in the event as well, placing eighth overall with a mark of 10.47m.
Javelin Throw
The Falcons were well-represented in the javelin throw. Messiah had three throwers place in the top-10, led by
Ruby Ramsey. Ramsey achieved a top mark of 32.09m as
Brynn Gaugler (31.40m) and
Lila Goodhile (28.75m) placed eighth and tenth overall, respectively.
Macey Wolfe (27.14m), Bernd (20.77m), and
Carolina Hatch (17.13m) also turned in strong outings.
What's Next
The Messiah women's track and field will have a split-squad effort on Friday, Apr. 15, competing at both the Greyhound Invitational (Moravian College) in Bethlehem, Pa., and the Larry Ellis Invitational (Princeton University) in Princeton, N. J.
