YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – It was a Cinderella-story finish for the Geneva women's track and field team at the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday, with the Golden Tornadoes claiming the first PAC title in program history. Geneva entered the competition as underdogs to heavily-favored Grove City, but the GTs put together an incredible team effort to emerge victorious and knock off the reigning champion Wolverines.

The women earned 127 points as a team, finishing five points ahead of Grove City and 42.5 points ahead of third-place Westminster. Their win was paired with a conference championship on the men's side as well, and head coach Phil Thompson has now won four PAC championships this season, two in the fall with the men's and women's cross country teams and the two victories Thursday evening.

Three Geneva athletes earned first-place finishes for the women, with senior Hailey Carroll winning both the 800-meters and the mile, senior Carmen Medvit taking the 3000-meters, and junior Daphne Alexander coming away with a high jump victory. As she has done many times this season, Carroll set another program record in the 800, finishing in 2:14.55 to shave nearly four seconds off her previous mark. That came soon after she had won the mile with a time of 4:57.47, just a second slower than the record she set earlier this season.

Medvit was the top finisher in an impressive 3000-meter race for Geneva as a team, with the senior crossing the line in 10:09.19, the fastest time ever recorded at the PAC Championship meet. Junior Lydia Nagel ran one of the best races of her career in the event, ending in fourth place with a time of 11:17.60, while sophomore Audrey McAlister was right behind her in fifth at 11:20.77. In addition to winning the 3000, Medvit also finished second in the 5000-meters with a 17:53.14 mark, while McAlister took fifth in that event with a time of 19:07.45.

Alexander led a spectacular effort from Geneva in the jumps, clearing 1.63 meters to win the event and break the school record for the third meet in a row. Sophomore Olivia Seetoo took fourth place in the event, clearing 1.55 meters, while junior Katelyn Mathews also performed well with a jump of 1.50 meters, tied for fifth overall. Junior Kaelyn Hartman continued the jumpers' success, securing third place in the triple jump with a career-best mark of 10.47 meters, which followed up her sixth-place finish in the long jump, in which she lept 4.94 meters. Sophomore Emma Thellman rounded up the jumping performances with a sixth-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 2.83 meters.

Geneva's throwers had an excellent day, with senior Allison Standish taking second in the weight throw (14.64 meters) and fourth in the shot put (a personal-best 11.99 meters) to lead the way. Sophomore Kyla Parks earned some important points in those events as well, finishing third overall in the weight throw with a personal-best toss of 13.95 meters and sixth in the shot put, throwing for 11.11 meters.

Sophomore Sara Vos headed up the Golden Tornadoes' efforts in the sprints, placing in the 400-meters, the 200-meters, and the 60-meter dash. She took home a fourth-place finish in the 400 by running a 1:00.42 and a fifth-place finish in the 200, finishing that event in 26.83 seconds. She also placed eighth in the 60-meter dash after running an 8.05 in the preliminaries.

Alexander, along with freshman Rachel Baird, both placed for the women in the 60-meter hurdles. Alexander took sixth overall with a time of 9.91 seconds, while Baird finished eighth with a time of 10.17 seconds. That came after she recorded a career-best 10.14 effort in the preliminaries.

Geneva's two relay teams both placed to close out the championship meet, with the distance medley relay team of Medvit, Baird, junior Brooklen Helton, and Carroll earning second overall and smashing the school record with a time of 12:22.16. The 4x400-relay team, featuring freshman Grace Hersch, Vos, senior Rowan Dennis, and junior Jordann Hicks, came in seventh, finishing in 4:23.20.

Coach Thompson was named the PAC Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year on both the women's and men's side after leading a tremendous effort by both teams.

The championship victory all but wraps up the indoor season for the women. Carroll has a good chance to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships with her 800-meter time, and a few other athletes may compete next week in an effort to get a shot at the national championships as well. Those who don't will begin preparing for the outdoor season, which begins on March 13^th as the Golden Tornadoes travel south to compete in the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Classic.

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).