YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Geneva College men's and women's track and field teams opened their indoor seasons on Friday afternoon at the Youngstown State Icebreaker Meet.  The meet had 48 schools competing at the event, including many NCAA Division I and Division II schools.
 
Friday was the first time the Golden Tornadoes have competed at an indoor track meet in two years after last year's indoor season was canceled due to COVID.  The last time the men were on the indoor track was in 2020 when the Golden Tornadoes cruised to their third straight PAC Indoor Championship, and combined with four straight PAC Outdoor Championships, the men are riding a streak of seven straight PAC Championships. The women are looking to improve upon their third-place finish at last season's 2021 PAC Outdoor Championships, with the bulk of last year's team all returning.
 
For the men, senior Dom Data (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) had the highest finish of any Golden Tornado on the day, coming in 5^th overall in the 200 meters with a time of 21.97 seconds.  He also ran the 60 meters in 7.04 seconds.  Freshman Desmond Lewis (Fort Worth, Texas/Saginaw) also ran well in the 60 meters, finishing in a time of 7.16 seconds.  Senior Gabe Willis (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) ran a strong race in the 800 meters, finishing 12^th overall in a time of 2:02.37.
 
For the throwers, senior Giovanni Segura (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brentwood) and sophomore Noah Foust (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg) both had good days.  Segura finished 11^th in the weight throw with a toss of 13.84 meters, while Foust finished 18^th in the shot put with a distance of 13.12 meters.
 
On the women's side, senior Olivia Younger (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny), the premier women's hurdler in the PAC over the past three seasons, continued her impressive career, advancing to the finals of the 60m hurdles race that consisted primarily of Division I runners, where she placed 7^th overall with a time of 9.32 seconds.  Her time of 9.10 seconds in the prelims to qualify for the finals was a personal best.  She also placed 17^th in the 60 meters with a time of 8.20 seconds. 
 
Senior Katryn Gatchell (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) ran well in the 800-meter race, finishing 7^th overall with a time of 2:25.82.  Freshman Madison Castro (Colorado Springs, Colo./Evangelical Christian Academy) also had a strong race in the 800 meters, finishing in a time of 2:33.68.  In addition, sophomore Anne Holdeman (Bloomington, Ind./Lighthouse Christian Academy) had a good time in the 200 meters with a finish of 27.64 seconds.
 
"It was great to be back on the track," said Head Coach Phil Thompson.  "It has been a long time since we have last competed, and the team was excited and ready to go. We had a lot of great performances, and I am very pleased with how we performed at a very competitive meet.  Both the men's and women's teams are very talented, and I know that we will continue to put in the work on the track and in the weight room.  We still have a long way to go, but this is just the start and I know that this team is ready for the challenge."
 
Both teams will be back in action next Friday, December 10, when Geneva travels back to Youngstown State to compete in the YSU Collegiate Holiday Classic.  That will be their last meet until next semester.
 

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).