GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah Women's Track and Field team finished as the runner-ups at the 2026 Messiah Multi and Invitational after concluding action on Saturday, April 11 after the three-day competition. The Falcons totaled 82 points over the weekend, finishing behind only Mount St. Mary's who collected 97. Messiah's efforts were highlighted by a 1-2 duo in the 1500 Meter Run with
Elana Pineda claiming the top spot in 4:52.33 and
Madison Kimmel finishing close behind in 4:53.17. The Falcons also picked up a win in the 4x800 Meter Relay when the team of
Kerrigan Lebo,
Alleha Glenn,
Madison Kimmel, and
Elana Pineda combined for a time of 9:44.32, nearly a minute ahead of the second-place team.
The Falcons return to action on Saturday, April 18, when they compete at the Millersville Invite.
On the Track
Action on the track began with the 5000 Meter Run, where
Kayra DeVries led the Falcons with a season best time of 20:18.26.
Allison Keller was the next Falcon to cross the line with a time of 20:50.67.
Grace Bath clocked a time of 22:30.52 with
Lia Widenhofer rounding out the Falcons' efforts with a 24:59.24.
In the 3000 Meter Steeplechase, Messiah placed a pair of runners in the top five with
Emmie Battersby claiming second in a time of 12:26.48 in her Steeplechase debut and
Samantha Mynio finishing in fifth with a time of 12:52.69.
Kelsey Hoffman also contested the Steeplechase for the first time and crossed the line in a time of 14:58.53.
Kara Brown returned to the track on Saturday after competing in the two-day Heptathlon on Thursday and Friday. Brown ran a season best time of 15.74 in the 100 Meter Hurdle prelims to finish seventh and claim a spot in the final. She clocked a time of 16.14 in the final to finish eighth.
Kaitlyn Albrecht clocked a time of 17.79.
In the 100 Meter Dash,
Arwyn Gruenwald led the Falcons with a season best 12.86, while
Dajea Batchler (13.05) and
Alivia Ritenour (15.30) each registered personal bests.
The 1500 Meter Run proved to be a highlight for the Falcons as
Elana Pineda and
Madison Kimmel finished 1-2 with times of 4:52.33 and 4:53.17, respectively. Kimmel's time registered as a new personal best.
Linnea Haney clocked a time of 5:29.18 with
Caroline Shutts adding a 5:58.19 in her 1500 debut.
Lexi Lapp (6:17.75) and
Abigail Smith (6:35.05) also competed for the Messiah.
Elizabeth Biehl was the lone Falcon contender in the 400 Meter Dash, clocking a personal best time of 62.69 to finish sixth.
In the 800 Meter Run,
Kerrigan Lebo and
Meagan Kime highlighted the Messiah performances, claiming second and seventh, respectively. Lebo crossed the line in a season best time of 2:20.33, less than a second behind the top finisher, while Kime clocked a new personal best of 2:23.48.
Paulina Torres crossed the line in a personal best time of 2:30.82, closely followed by
Helen Blakesee in a personal best of 2:31.24.
Katie Gardner and
Linnea Haney rounded out the Falcons' contingent in the event with respective times of 2:37.81 and 2:45.58.
A pair of Falcons toed the line for the 400 Meter Hurdles with
Kyra Dillon finishing fifth in a time of 69.69.
Kaitlynn Yeager clocked a time of 77.95, giving both Falcons new personal best times.
Messiah had a trio in the 200 Meter Dash with
Arwyn Gruenwald leading the way in a time of 26.87.
Lily Scheetz clocked a personal best time of 27.72 and
Hannah Beals crossed the line in a time of 30.58 in her debut.
The 4x800 Meter Relay proved to be another highlight for the Falcons, as the team of
Kerrigan Lebo,
Alleha Glenn,
Madison Kimmel, and
Elana Pineda combined for a time of 9:44.32, nearly a minute ahead of the second-place team.
Action on the track concluded with the 4x400 Meter Relay. The team of
Elizabeth Biehl,
Lily Scheetz,
Meagan Kime, and
Paulina Torres finished fourth with a combined time of 4:21.85.
In the Field
The Falcons only contested in the vertical jumps with
Kaitlyn Albrecht as the lone Falcon in the High Jump, finishing with a clearance of 1.36 meters. In the Pole Vault,
Alivia Ritenour finished with a height of 2.95 meters.
Action in the throws opened with the Hammer Throw where
Jaclyn Steenstra led the Falcons with a distance of 37.10 meters.
Ella Axtell finished with a mark of 30.53 meters while
Sidney Avers registered a top mark of 29.68 meters.
Lucy Colyer hit a personal best distance of 29.01 meters to round out the Falcons' marks.
Five Falcons took to the runway in the Javelin Throw with
Seneca Mikesell leading the way with a personal best distance of 28.71 meters. Katelyn Baker threw a 24.82 meter toss in her debut while
Rachel Plant registered a 23.85 meter throw.
Libby Jones finished with a distance of 22.87 meters and
Brenna Jones hit a mark of 18.94 meters.
The Shot Put rounded out the field efforts of Saturday afternoon with
Lucy Colyer finishing fourth with a personal best toss of 11.60 meters.
Ella Axtell has a top mark of 10.18 meters while
Leah Ritzman finished with a mark of 9.44 meters.
Morgan Deibler finished with a personal best mark of 6.72 meters.
Up Next
The Falcons return to action on Saturday, April 18, when they compete at the Millersville Invite.
