PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A week ago, western Pennsylvania enjoyed spring weather in the 60s and 70s. This weekend brought a far different weather pattern for the Geneva College men's and women's track and field team to compete in on Friday and Saturday at Carnegie Mellon, with the Golden Tornadoes competing in weather in the 30s and a blustery light snow in the area. Despite the conditions, several athletes turned in strong performances.
For the men, freshman Kevin Arseneaux (Yarmouth Port, Mass./Dennis-Yarmouth Regional) finished third in the 1500-meter race with a time of 4:01.69. Freshman Eric Hardman (East Palestine, Ohio/Wellsville) ran a time of 1:01.34 in the 400-meter hurdles.
In the field events, sophomore Noah Foust (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg) continued his strong spring in the throwing events, placing fourth in the discus with a toss of 42.53 meters. Freshman Kyle Garman (Hanover, Pa./Hanover) placed eighth in the triple jump with an effort of 12.88 meters, while senior Giovanni Segura (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brentwood) turned in a throw of 13.10 meters in the shot put.
For the women, junior Naomi Swartzbaugh (Spartansburg, Pa./Spartansburg) placed second in the 100-meter hurdles (17.14 seconds) and sixth in the triple jump (9.57 meters). Senior Jessie Taylor (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) placed fifth in the steeplechase in a time of 11:57.75. Senior Brooke Waters (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) placed sixth in the 100-meter dash with at time of 13.76 seconds, while senior Katryn Gatchell (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) placed ninth in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:26.79.
In the field events, junior Alexis Montgomery (Seneca, Pa./Christian Life Academy) had another strong day in the javelin, finishing second with a throw of 30.78 meters.
"These two days of competition were tough," said Head Coach Phil Thompson. "The weather for both days was cold with both rain and snow at times, but that didn't stop this team from going out and competing well. I'm really proud of this group for what they did this weekend in less than ideal conditions.
"I think the big story this weekend, though, is having Gio (Segura) back. He had some serious health issues during the indoor season, and we weren't sure he'd be able to compete again. So, it was so great to see him put on his uniform again, and not only did he compete, but he qualified for the NCCAA meet in May. I couldn't be more proud of him."
Geneva will head to Slippery Rock next Saturday, April 2, to compete at the Dave Labor Alumni Invitational.
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).
