YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Geneva College men's and women's track and field teams headed back to Youngstown State on Friday after opening their seasons last week at the same location. The teams took part in the YSU Collegiate Holiday Classic, along with 27 other schools, including multiple Division I schools, and senior Dom Data (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) highlighted the day by winning the 200-meter race in school record time.
Data, who has dominated the short sprints in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) over his career, has picked up right where he left off last season. His time in the 200-meter race of 21.84 seconds bested multiple Division I runners. He also ran a personal best time of 7.01 seconds in the 60-meter race, which qualified him for the finals, where he placed sixth.
Senior Gabe Willis (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) had another strong day, placing fourth overall in the 800 meters with a personal best time of 2:00.33. Sophomore Lawiltaye Robinson (Tampa, Fla./Bloomingdale) finished 10th in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.99 seconds. Senior Giovanni Segura (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brentwood) also had another strong day in his throwing events, placing 13th overall in the weight throw with a toss of 14.19 meters, while finishing 17th in the shot put with a distance of 12.92 meters.
On the women's side, senior Jessie Taylor (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) finished fifth overall in the mile with a time of 5:26.35 in her first indoor meet of the season, just a few weeks after placing so well in the PAC Cross Country Championships. Senior Katryn Gatchell (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) also ran well in the mile, finishing 10th with a time of 5:42.98.
Senior Olivia Younger (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) again qualified for the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, finishing seventh overall with a time of 9.40 seconds. She also finished 15th in the 60-meter race with a time of 8.26 seconds.
In addition, Younger, senior Brooke Waters (New Castle, Pa./Shenango), sophomore Anne Holdeman (Bloomington, Ind./Lighthouse Christian Academy) and freshman Kendall Shaporka (Grindstone, Pa./Frazier) placed second in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 4:18.39.
"We had another strong performance today and I'm very pleased with what both the men and women accomplished as we head into the break," said Head Coach Phil Thompson. "We can't get comfortable, though, and we have to continue to put in the work over Christmas. Dom continues to be very impressive and he looks like he's ready to take on anyone in the 60 meters and especially the 200 meters."
Both teams will be off for the next month before returning to school in January to prepare for a meet at the Spire Institute on Saturday, January 15.
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 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva has one of the top 100 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to
U.S. News and World Report. 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. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and IACE (International Association for Christian Education).
