SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Messiah Women's Track and Field team competed at the Paul Kaiser Invitational hosted by Shippensburg University on Saturday, April 25, submitting a slate of excellent performances despite the rough conditions of hours of cold, wind, and rain. The Falcons competed strongly against a number of Division II schools, earning an event win as well as two new entries on the Falcons' top ten all-time performance list alongside two additional MAC performances.
 
The Falcons will return to action at the 2026 Middle Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, where they will conclude their season and look to improve on their sixth-place finish from last year's edition of these championships. The MAC Championships are set to take place from Thursday, April 30 through Saturday, May 2 at the Douglas K. Miller Track and Starry Athletic Complex.
 
On the Track
The first track event for the Messiah women came in the 100 Meter Dash, with Arwyn Gruenwald leading the Falcons with a 13.07 performance into the rain and a strong headwind. Dajea Batchler finished with a time of 13.62 in the same conditions, with both athletes finishing about half a second from their personal bests in the event.
 
Both of the Falcons' 100 Meter sprinters returned in short order to compete in the 4x100 Meter Relay, where they were joined by Kaitlyn Albrecht and Lily Scheetz. The quartet finished with a time of 50.80.
 
One of the highlights for the Falcons came in the form of Delaney Turk's race in the 1500 Meter Run, a race in which the sophomore earned a huge personal best with a MAC-qualifying time of 4:48.88 that sits just two seconds off a spot in the all-time top ten in program history. Turk moved up very well over the final 400 meters of the race to place third in a very competitive field, closing in an incredible time of 1:12 for her final lap. Samantha Mynio finished with a collegiate best time of 5:24.88 in the 1500 Meter, with Allison Keller finishing less than a step behind to cross in another collegiate best time of 5:25.07. Senior Linnea Haney also finished with a personal best time of 5:25.59, improving on her previous best of 5:28 from freshman year. The next two Falcons also turned in a set of personal bests, with Katie Gardner finishing in a time of 5:36.40 and Caroline Shutts in a time of 5:47.10. Kelsey Hoffman crossed the line in a time of 6:09.00 and was followed by a 6:12.80 clocking from Lexi Lapp, a season best for both athletes. 
 
Meagan Kime led the Falcons in the 800 Meter Run, finishing with another collegiate best time of 2:23.16 with an incredible negative split race thanks to a final 400 meters of 71.2. Kime earned a convincing win in the third heat that allowed her to finish seventh overall despite being seeded 18th. Helen Blakeslee also competed in the 800 Meter and finished in a time of 2:35.26, just ahead of Paulina Torres' 2:35.71 performance. Abigail Smith concluded the Falcons' efforts in the event with a time of 3:08.68. 
 
Kaitlynn Yeager was the sole Falcon to compete in the 400 Meter Hurdles, submitting another very consistent performance with a 1:17.13 personal best that improves by several tenths on her previous best. The 200 Meter Dash races followed, with Arwyn Gruenwald leading the Falcons once more in a time of 27.00. Dajea Batchler set yet another personal best on the year to qualify for MACs with a time of 27.40 despite the wind and rain, an improvement by 0.05 on her previous best. Lily Scheetz finished near her personal best with a time of 28.01 and was followed shortly by Kaitlyn Albrecht's personal best of 28.17. Hannah Beals finished with a time of 32.03 to round out the event for the Falcons.
 
The meet also featured a flat 3000 Meter Run race, a definite rarity for outdoor meets at the collegiate level and an opportunity that several Falcons took advantage of. Emmie Battersby was able to submit her first ever sub-11 performance in the 3000 Meter after finishing in a time of 11:01.06 at Indoor MACs, running a personal best time of 10:57.39 to place fifth. Grace Bath also competed in the 3000 Meter, finishing under 13 minutes in a time of 12:52.59 after a quick final lap. 
 
The final event on the track was the 4x400 Meter Relay, where the Falcons fielded a distance-oriented team of Katie Gardner, Samantha Mynio, Linnea Haney, and Allison Keller. The quartet finished in third place with a time of 4:47.84.
 
In the Field
Jaclyn Steenstra led the Falcons in the Discus Throw, the first event in the field. Steenstra finished with a throw of 36.86 meters (120' 11"), slightly ahead of Ella Axtell's personal best heave of 34.41 meters (112' 11") that improves her own tenth best performance in program history. Sidney Avers also finished with a top throw of 27.21 meters (89' 3") in the Hammer.
 
The Falcons' efforts in the field continued with Lucy Colyer's top throw of 11.38 meters (37' 4") in the Shot Put, a mark followed by Ella Axtell's 10.55 meters (34' 7.5") performance. Morgan Deibler finished with a sizable personal best time of 7.19 meters (23' 7.25") in her final competition.
 
In the Discus, Libby Jones led the Falcons with a mark of 28.47 meters (93' 5"), her third straight performance over 28 meters. Sidney Avers also finished within less than a meter of her personal record with a mark of 25.05 meters (82' 2"), while Seneca Mikesell followed with a mark of 22.75 meters (74' 8"). In the Javelin, Brenna Jones finished with a mark of 20.70 meters (67' 11") and Katelyn Baker a distance of 20.24m (66' 5").
 
The Falcons earned their sole event win on the day in the Pole Vault, where Alivia Ritenour finished with a new lifetime best clearance of 3.15 meters (10' 4") on her first attempt despite the terrible jumping conditions, an incredible feat for the freshman. Ritenour's new best allowed her to improve her standing on the Falcon's all-time list to ninth. 
 
Up Next
The Falcons will return to action at the 2026 Middle Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, where they will conclude their season and look to improve on their sixth-place finish from last year's edition of these championships. The MAC Championships are set to take place from Thursday, April 30 through Saturday, May 2 at the Douglas K. Miller Track and Starry Athletic Complex.

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