YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Geneva College men's and women's track and field teams opened their indoor season on Friday afternoon at the Youngstown State Icebreaker.  The meet was the only one during the first semester for Geneva, and several members of both teams did not compete as the Golden Tornadoes continue to round into form.  Despite that, there were several notable performances by those who did participate at the meet.
 
For the women, senior Lydia Swartzbaugh (Spartansburg, Pa./Spartansburg) jumped 4.67m in the long jump.  Sophomore Katryn Gatchell (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) ran a 5:58.90 mile time.  Freshman Olivia Mincone (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) finished the 200m in a time of 28.64, while sophomore Brooke Waters (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) was just behind Mincone with a time of 29.76.
 
For the men, who are coming off back-to-back Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Indoor Championships, not to mention three straight PAC Outdoor Championships, freshman David McDonald finished eighth overall at the meet in the triple jump with a distance of 13.19m.  Sophomore Giovanni Segura (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brentwood-Clarion) finished 13^th in the shot put with a throw of 13.19m.  Other noteworthy performances were from senior Raymond Hagg (West Sunbury, Pa./Moniteau), who cleared 3.90m in the pole vault, and freshman Nick Bailey, who finished the 400m with a time of 52.84 seconds.
 
"This was a good first meet to see where we are at," said Head Coach Phil Thompson.  "We were missing a number of key people on both sides, but overall it was a strong first performance of the season for us, especially for a number of freshmen who saw their first action in college."
 
The Golden Tornadoes will take a month off for finals and the Christmas break before returning to action with another meet at Youngstown State on January 17.


Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 115 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the top engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.