GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah Track and Field team returned for Day Two of the three-day Messiah Multi and Invitational on Friday afternoon. Messiah had three athletes in action for the two-day Multi events, with two competitors in the Men's Decathlon, and one in the Women's Heptathlon.
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Up Next
The Falcons will return to action at the Starry Track Complex on Saturday, April 15th for the majority of events for the Messiah Invitational.
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Day One
Gavin Dunkerton is leading the way for the Falcons in the two-day multis. His total score of 3009 has him in fourth place after five events of the Decathlon. He earned personal bests in three of his five events. Dunkerton started the day with back-to-back bests in the 100 Meter Dash and the Long Jump. He crossed the line of the 100 Meter in a time of 11.62 and reached a final distance of 5.82 meters in the Long Jump. He followed those performances with a final mark of 11.07 meters in the Shot Put and a final height of 1.70 meters in the High Jump. Dunkerton concluded Day One with a new personal best time in the 400 Meter Dash, crossing the line in a time of 54.02.
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Sitting in 10th through five events is
Liam McGovern with a cumulative score of 2475. His day started with a 12.38 in the 100 Meter Dash followed by a new personal best mark of 5.79 meters in the Long Jump. McGovern threw a final mark of 10.86 meters in the Shot Put before jumping a height of 1.46 in the High Jump. His day concluded with a 58.71 second finish in the 400 Meter Dash.
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The lone Falcon in the Women's Heptathlon was
Natalie Hamlen. She is in 12th place following the first four events with a cumulative score of 1894. She recorded new personal bests in two of her four events. Hamlen started the day with a new best in the 100 Meter Hurdles, crossing the line in a time of 18.26. Following that was a near best in the High Jump, finishing with a height of 1.39 meters. Hamlen finished the Shot Put with a mark of 8.62 meters. Finishing Day One of the Heptathlon was a new personal best of 29.89 in the 200 Meter Dash.
Day Two
Gavin Dunkerton secured his fourth-place finish in the Decathlon after a great second day. He matched his Day One performance, earning new personal bests in three of his five events. Friday afternoon began with back-to-back personal bests in the 110 Meter Hurdles and the Discus Throw. He crossed the line in a time of 17.23 in the hurdles before throwing 32.12 meters in the Discus. Dunkerton cleared a height of 3.00 meters in the Pole Vault before earning his sixth personal best of the weekend in the Javelin Throw. He threw a distance of 47.90 meters in the Javelin, besting the day's competition. That mark also qualifies him for the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships (MAC). He ended the day with a time of 5:21.32 in the 1500 Meter Run. Dunkerton's cumulative score of 5473 bettered his previous best Decathlon score by over 500 points and moved him into eighth overall in the Messiah Top Ten List.
Liam McGovern improved his Day One standing and finished in eighth place after earning a cumulative score of 4475. His day began with a 19.38Â in the 110 Meter Hurdles and a mark of 32.38 in the Discus Throw. He then earned a new personal best in the Pole Vault, clearing a height of 2.90 meters. McGovern rounded out the Decathlon with a throw of 33.29 in the Javelin and a final time of 5:27.94 in the 1500 Meter Run.
It was a big Day Two for
Natalie Hamlen in the Heptathlon, where she earned two new personal bests in events as well as a new personal best in the Heptathlon. She leaped 4.74 meters in the Long Jump to earn her first new best on the day while also qualifying for MACs in the event. Hamlen followed that up with a new best in the Javelin Throw, hitting a mark of 24.04 meters. Friday night concluded with the 800 Meter Run, where Hamlen crossed the line in a time of 2;34.87, only two seconds off her best time. Her cumulative score of 3381 earned her a 10th-place finish while also earning her a spot on the Messiah Top Ten list where she now sits in 10th place.
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Up Next
The Falcons will return to action at the Starry Track Complex on Saturday, April 15th for the majority of events for the Messiah Invitational.
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