ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Geneva College men's and women's track and field teams officially began the indoor portion of their season on Saturday, with the Golden Tornadoes participating at the Mount Union Toy Drive Invite. Junior Allison Standish's school record in the weight throw was a highlight for the teams as several student-athletes, including all of the distance runners for both the men and women, did not compete while they recover from the recently completed cross country season. Nine teams competed at the meet, including three NCAA Division II schools.
Standish broke the school record in the indoor weight throw, tossing 14.24 meters, besting her own school record in the event of 14.07 meters. That throw earned her a sixth-place finish at the meet. Standish also placed 12th in the shot put with a throw of 10.53 meters.
A few freshmen for the women had strong collegiate debuts. Freshman Olivia Seetoo had a great first meet in the high jump, clearing 1.52 meters. Sophomore Daphne Alexander also cleared 1.52 meters at the meet, which was the top height anyone at the event cleared. Seetoo eventually placed second overall due to fewer misses, the highest finish of any Golden Tornado on the day, while Alexander placed fifth overall.
Also on the women's side, freshman Arionna White qualified for the finals of the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.23 seconds, where she eventually finished fifth overall. Junior Audrey McMahan placed ninth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 11.45 seconds. Freshman Sara Vos brought home a top ten finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:06.73. Junior Carsyn Hetzler also placed 10th in the long jump with a distance of 4.73 meters, while sophomore Kaelyn Hartman was right behind with a jump of 4.67 meters.
On the men's side, senior Desmond Lewis had a strong day in the sprints. He placed fifth overall, the highest finish for anyone on the men's side, in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.13 seconds. He also narrowly missed qualifying for the finals of the 60-meter sprint with a time of 7.17 seconds. Junior Seth Tyson added an eighth-place finish in the long jump with a distance of 5.67 meters.
Saturday's meet was the only competition before Christmas break for the teams. The squads will return to action next month when Geneva competes at the Muskingum Muskie Meet on Saturday, January 18.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. 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 the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
