HOUGHTON, N.Y. - The Messiah women's track and field team returned to competition on Saturday with a trip to Houghton, N.Y. for the Houghton Highlander Invitational. Four first-place finishes highlighted the Messiah efforts.
The Falcons return to action next Friday and Saturday when they compete in the Bison Open and Multi hosted by Bucknell University.
On the Track
The Falcons turned in some quick times on the track on Saturday, highlighted by four first-place finishes. In the 60 Meter Hurdles, Messiah earned three top-10 finishes.
Kara Brown won the event with a time of 9.73.
Claire Miller was close on her heels, finishing in 9.78 to take third place.
Natalie Hamlen crossed the line in 11.40 to finish in eighth place.
The Falcons ran well in the 400 Meter, placing five in the top 10. A trio of Falcons led the way claiming the top three spots.
Elena Vargas earned the victory, crossing the line in a time of 1:02.30. Closely behind her were
Emma Graybill (second, 1:03.34), and
Kerrigan Lebo (third, 1:03.59). Megan Rabb (seventh, 1:06.99) and
Clara Benner (ninth,1:07.62) also earned top-10 finishes for the Falcons in the event.
In the 800 Meter,
Laura Kruth finished in seventh after crossing the line in 2:35.34.
The 5000 Meter saw Messiah claim five of the top-six spots. While the Falcons did not win the event, the represented each of the next five finishers, taking second through sixth. Leading the pack was
Teddi Powell who finished in a time of 20:04.11, taking second place. Following behind her were
Sarah Bath (third, 20:49.56),
Kirsten Howland (fourth, 21:16.06),
Allison Keller (fifth, 22:14.55), and
Abi Ferry (sixth, 24:00.75).
Halle Jennett earned two second place finishes on the day. In the 60 Meter, Jennett ran 8.19 in finals to secure the second place finish. Then in the 200 Meter, she crossed the line in a time of 27.78. Joining her in the 60 Meter final was
Arwyn Gruenwald, who finished in sixth with a time of 8.41.
Kerrigan Lebo also ran the 200 Meter, crossing the line in a time of 28.56 to earn fourth.
Messiah placed two runners in the top ten of the 3000 Meter.
Katie Anthony earned a fifth-place finish in a time of 11:15.35. Ali Shutte took home 10th place with a time of 11:36.06.
Despite being the only team in the 4x200 Meter Relay, the team of
Halle Jennett,
Emma Graybill,
Claire Miller, and
Elena Vargas turned in an impressive time of 1:50.02. The 4x400 Meter team of
Kerrigan Lebo,
Laura Kruth,
Julia Rickard, and
Megan Raab also finished first. They combined for a time of 4:29.16.
In the Field
Leah Ferster was the lone Falcon in the throwing events. Her throw of 11.23 meters earned her a fifth-place finish in the Weight Throw. Later in the day, her mark of 9.84 meters earned her a fourth-place finish in the Shot Put.
The Falcons were well represented in the jumping events as they earned eight top-10 finishes, highlighted by
Elena Vargas's first-place finish in the Triple Jump. She leaped 10.73 meters on her first jump to secure the top spot. Also in the Triple Jump,
Emma Graybill finished in fourth after a mark of 9.97 meters.
The Falcons soared in the Pole Vault and High Jump.
Cadee Wood led a trio of Falcons placing in the top ten. Wood and teammate
Noelle Crowley finished second and third, respectively, with a height of 2.70 meters but Wood won the higher place due to attempts taken.
Olivia Call finished sixth with a height of 2.55 meters.
Kara Brown finished second in the High Jump with a height of 1.43 meters while
Natalie Hamlen finished in sixth with a height of 1.28 meter. Hamlen also earned a tenth-place finish in the Long Jump with a mark of 4.26 meters.
The Falcons are back in action next Friday and Saturday when they travel to Bucknell University for the Bison Open and Multi.
