GRANTHAM, Pa. - Day Two of the Middle Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships went very well for the Messiah Women's Track and Field team, with the Falcons bringing home a medal to accompany their two from last night and two scoring placements. While Day two had a significant number of preliminary races on the track to determine qualification for the final, the Falcons proved their quality in the rounds by sending four athletes to the finals in the 800 Meter Run and 400 Meter Hurdles. The Falcons also benefited from two new marks on the program record top tens lists, with both of those performances earning the scoring efforts that added to the Falcons' point total on the day. At the conclusion of Day Two, the Falcons slotted in fifth in team scoring with 36 team points, sitting behind Lebanon Valley (49 points), DeSales (47 points), King's (42 points), and Stevens (37.5 points).
The Falcons opened with a definite highlight on the day in the form of the 3000 Meter Steeplechase, a race in which a huge majority of the athletes ran enormous personal best times.
Emmie Battersby improved enormously on her 12:26 seed time and personal best with a stellar time of 11:49.17 to place third, earning a spot in tenth in program history in the women's Steeple.
Samantha Mynio finished in ninth place with a 22 second personal record of 12:28.40, a sensational improvement for the junior who has finished between 12:50 and 12:52 in her last four steeplechase races.
In the 4x100 Meter Relay, the Falcons placed ninth as the first team out of the final with an excellent race and season best time of 50.25 from a team of
Arwyn Gruenwald,
Kaitlyn Albrecht,
Lily Scheetz, and
Dajea Batchler.
The Falcons also benefited from the performances of Lily Sheetz and fellow freshman
Elizabeth Biehl in the open 400 Meter Dash. Biehl finished with a lifetime best of 1:01.56 to place 12th in the preliminary round of an exceptionally competitive 400 Meter, her first time under 62 seconds in the 400 Meter Dash. Scheetz finished with a season best time of 1:03.56 on a quick turnaround from the relay to place 18th.
In the 100 Meter Dash,
Arwyn Gruenwald finished in ninth place in the preliminary round with a time of 12.92.
Dajea Batchler followed closely after, finishing in 17th place in a time of 13.15.
In the 800 Meter Run, the Falcons qualified three athletes into tomorrow's final behind a slate of exceptional performances. The Falcons started four athletes in the field of 17 and earned the second, third, seventh, and 12th placements in the preliminary round, giving them two exceptional chances at a medal in tomorrow's final.
Elana Pineda finished second overall and second place in heat two with a time of 2:18.38, while
Kerrigan Lebo captured the win in heat one en route to a new personal best time of 2:19.30, her first time under 2:20.
Meagan Kime also set a lifetime best to qualify for the final in the seventh position, surpassing her previous best from high school with a 2:20.55 clocking.
Alleha Glenn also finished with a very strong time close to her personal best with a 2:22.89 performance.
In the 400 Meter Hurdles,
Kyra Dillon ran the personal best that was required of her to qualify for the final as a top eight finisher in the preliminary round, placing sixth with a time of 1:08.47. Dillon participated in a very competitive second heat, cresting the final hurdle shoulder-to-shoulder with two other competitors before narrowly placing third in the heat in a time quick enough to advance to the final. Dillon's time improves on her previous best by over a second, improving on her eighth-seeded placement to earn her the sixth-fastest time in the prelims.
In the field, the Falcons' participation in the Discus Throw featured
Jaclyn Steenstra, who finished in 13th place with a top throw of 31.06 meters (101' 11"). Steenstra's throw finishes about three meters adrift of her personal record.
In the Heptathlon,
Kara Brown followed up her stellar start on Day One with an excellent performance on Day Two, earning two personal records to set a new overall Heptathlon best of 3809 points, vaulting her from ninth to fifth in program history. Brown finished fourth in the competition after setting new personal records in the Long Jump (4.64 meters) and 800 Meter Run (2:36.91), with her 800 Meter performance especially standing out as a new personal record by nine seconds. Overall, Brown set two personal bests and two additional season bests in the competition, enabling her to score five points for the Falcons in the second ever multi event of the Senior's career.
Be sure to tune into the third and final day of these Outdoor MAC championships at
gomacsports.tv for the conclusion of the Falcons' efforts!
